My kin
by Arasaka
Summary: Blank as main character, still not finished and I'm not sure if I'll be able to.. but I'll try..
1. Uninvited guest

*urrr* I hate it when this doesn´t come out here as it does in my word document! So sorry that this isn´t italic or centered where it´s supposed to be! I don´t know how to fix this... :/  
  
Jei! This is my first fanfic so don´t be harsh, but then again, judge me! Want to know if I´m doing ANYTHING right!  
  
I´m pretty much just making this up as I go along so don´t ask me about the plot! I really don´t know where I´m headed with this! Of course I´ve got few scenes thought up but all in all I don´t know where this will end.  
  
And I´m kind of writing this for the POV of someone who has finished the game! Just so there will be no hard feelings if I accidentally spoil something!  
  
And don´t judge me by my english! I´m not born in an English-speaking country so. (and I´m a Blank fan, so he might turn out kind of hero like BUT I´ll try not to make it extreme!)  
  
Enjoy and Review, please!  
  
  
  
Chapter #1  
  
//Uninvited Guest//  
  
Blank stood in the rear of the stage, his arms folded over his chest and a big grin on his face. He watched as the Queen pounded down from her royal box as fast as she could to embrace Zidane. The look on her face was of pure agony, but blended with joy, anger and utter relief. Blank couldn´t see Zidane´s face but he knew that it bore a humble smile of joy he wore so often.  
  
The Queen started to hit Zidane in fury and disbelief and he allowed her to have her way, knowing that would ease her pain from three years of not knowing what had happened.  
  
The crowd cheered and applauded, delighted with the happy ending of the show and the Queens part in it. Every single civilian in the kingdom of Alexandria knew how depressed the Queen had been over the past few years. This was an appropriate ending to her depression. Now there would be a wedding and perhaps a heir to the throne. Alexandrians wanted certainty and if there was no heir there would be problems.  
  
Blank scanned the crowd quickly with his eyes and saw some familiar faces. Freya, the Burmecian Dragon knight stood by Vivi, the little Black Mage, Amarant, who Blank knew almost nothing about, and the little, spunky, winged girl Eiko. Their faces seemed to glow with happiness, even though they all had known this day would come. And Quina, the strange looking chef, stood there, tounge out and that usual huge grin or whatever on it´s face. And, still up in the royal box, Steiner & Beatrix stood.  
  
A happy ending, after all, Blank thougth to himself as he turned away and went inside the theater ship. He went down to his room and lay down on his bed. Even inside the ship he could hear the crowd screaming and shouting. Now there´s gonna be a wedding, he thought. I wonder if Zidane´s going to invite me? After all, it could get a little awkward. I bet Dagger will insist though... we being childhood friends and all, and she doesn´t know! I bet that´s the way Zidane wants it. He kept on thinking about it for a while, then he heard somebody coming down the stairs. Most likely Baku, judging from the sound. He always walked like he was trying to bring down the whole house (or ship or whatever).  
  
'Yeah, what is it?' Blank yelled before Baku could even knock on the door. He didn´t intend it to sound as rude as it did.  
  
'Aren´t ya gonna c´m up and join us? We´re going to the castle to celebrate!' Baku asked carefully.  
  
Blank got up and opened the door. He didn´t have any reason not to go, other than the usual headache. But he couldn´t tell the boss about that. He smiled at the boss and gestured for him to lead the way.  
  
They walked side by side into the palace. Baku was much taller, and broader, than Blank, so Blank seemed kind of insignifficant beside him. Normally that would have annoyed him, seeming a lesser man than anyone else, but not tonight. Tonight he just wanted to disappear into the crowd so hopefully he wouldn´t have to talk to Zidane, or anyone else for that matter. The headache was tearing through his head like it was about to burst but he showed no signs of the pain, except for in his eyes, which of course nobody saw, luckily. The big belt made sure of that.  
  
Blank saw where Marcus and Cinna stood and pinched Baku to show him. They pushed their way through the crowd towards their friends. When they finally got to them Blank noticed Ruby standing by them. She had changed from her costume into a light blue evening gown, matching her hair and eyes. She looked stunning and Blank told her that. She blushed slightly and answered:  
  
'Well one o´ us has to!' and chuckled a little. Blank just smiled back at her. Baku laughed hard and hit Ruby a little to hard square over the back, causing a lock of hair to pull free from her theatreristic hairdo. But Baku did not notice, just walked away in the direction of Zidane and Garnet. Blank noticed how happy they looked and sighed.  
  
'So what are we doing in here, with all these people?' he asked Ruby.  
  
'Didn´t ya hear, honey?' She looked surprised. Blank merely shook his head. 'Well the luvbirds gonna get married, righ´on da spot!' she said, blinking her right eye at him.  
  
Blank put up a surprised face but his real thoughts were Finally!!  
  
Then he eyed a table decorated with food and drinks and made his way towards it.  
  
The hall was severly crowded. Every theatreguest had been invited.  
  
Well, at least there won´t be any awkward invitations now! crossed Blank´s mind.  
  
After dinner, which was surprisingly before the ceremony, they moved into the palace chapel. The royal mini-church took about 1000 persons in seat which was not enough for all the theatreguests. So Steiner kindly asked all who did not have a personal relationship with the royal couple to please wait in the dining hall or return to their homes. People did not see it to be a big request so they did as they were asked to and only about 500 all in all were present at the ceremony.  
  
The ceremony went on without a single problem. Zidane was crowned as the King of Alexandria. To Garnet´s surprise she learned that Steiner and Beatrix had been doing the necessary preporations for a few weeks now. Ever since they heard of Zidane´s wellbeing. The Queen was a little hurt that nobody had told her, but did not let that get in the way of the joy of Zidane´s return.  
  
Throughout the whole thing Blank sat in the far back, watching with great deal of interest. This was what he needed so that he would stop thinking about it, he thought. This was deffinetely the end of the whole thing! Zidane would realize that, right!?  
  
Blank watched as they kissed intensely. He thought it was sweet, but made sure no one would notice that. His blank face expressionless. Ruby, who sat at the front stood up and started applouding. She smiled gayly, her eyes full with tears. Then she looked back at Blank and waved with excitement, and he gestured a some kind of wave back. Blank was fully aware of her feelings towards him, but there was really nothing he could do about it...  
  
Then suddenly there was a loud scream of terror. Everyone froze and looked to the rear of the hall, where the scream had come from. Blank stood up as soon as he heard it and ran without thinking to his left, to where the scream had come from. He soon saw a woman, a brunette, lying on the floor. Blank could plainly see that she was dead, her head halfcut from her body. Nobody seemed to have been around her at the time so Blank was the first to get to her. Everybody else had wanted to be as close to the altar as they could get. Only half of the church´s chairs were occupied.  
  
Blank knelt down at one side of the woman. Her hair was thrown over her face and her beautiful, pale green gown was soaked in blood. Then something caught Blanks eye. A movement. He looked up just in time to see a hand disappear out an open window near him. He ran to it and jumped up to look out. The window was high above the ground but that did not seem to hinder the owner of the hand. Blank could see him dash away from the palace. He was wearing a dark cloak so it was hard to spot him in the darkness of the night.  
  
Blank jumped out of window and pursued. He was not about to let the only possible witness, and most likely a murderer, get away without a chase. He heard somebody, most likely Ruby, call out his name when he jumped out the window but he ignored it. Too bad he had left his sword on the ship. The only thing he now had to defend himself if the cloaked man would resist was a small knife he kept in his boot. He cursed himself for parting with his sword. He of all people should have known that that was not a smart move!  
  
The man dashed over green flats of grass and flowerbeds neatly positioned in the courtyard. Blank could see him glance over his shoulder indicating he knew that he was being followed. That did not make things any simpler for Blank. Pausing to look around, the cloaked man turned around. He was standing where a light from one of the lamps placed in the couryard lit up the earth so Blank could steal a glimpse at him.  
  
The man had breasts? Well, that kind of shocked Blank. The way the throat of the victim had been cut was rough and Blank would never have guessed a woman had done it. But her chest did not lie...  
  
The mystery woman had blond hair, very long and there was a slight curlyness about it. She was slender but obviously strong. Under her dark cloak Blank thought he saw dark green clothes, that tucked tightly to her body, allowing her to move freely. The hood concealed her face.  
  
Blank could see all this in just a split second, his eyes perfectly trained to catch every single detail. As a skilled thief he had to be able to memorize things. The woman turned and sprinted on toward the little harbor where a boat lay, appaerantly waiting for her. There were two men in it, or at least Blank thought the two figures were male, and as soon as the woman jumped in the boat they started rowing towards the other side. When Blank reached the dock it was already too late to see anything. They had disappeared into the night, and there was no other boat in sight. They had probably cut them loose. That was what Blank would have done, anyway.  
  
Blank cursed slightly and turned back, walking hastily back to the palace. He was a little out of breath after the running but not that much, really. His mind sorting out the things he had found out, all clues, even though they were very few, he stored in his mind in case he would need them later on.  
  
When Blank came closer to the palace he could see guards running around frantically, obviously trying to find the killer. Two of them sighted Blank and ran to him, trying to look really important. Their armour clinging loudly as they moved, and Blank thought that while wearing that there was no way that they were ever going to catch that woman. When the guards finally got to him they grasped his arms screaming: 'You´re not going to get away with this!' and 'You´re under arrest, buddy!' like bad actors performing in a very lame farce. He did not struggle, he did no't even try to talk his way out of things because he knew that would not do him any good. He just had to wait until they brought him to the 'King and Queen' (felt strange thinking about it like that). Then everything would be sorted out.  
  
And so it was. Zidane explained carefully that Blank was not any kind of a homocidal maniac, but a friend of his, the King (still weird). And so the guards let him go, begging for forgiveness before running away, trying to aid in the search of the murderer.  
  
'Where´s the victim?' Blank asked calmly. There was not any reason for making a scene, now that the woman had got away. The headache was still terribly strong.  
  
'Right here.' Zidane answered. He lead Blank to the place he had found the woman before. The hall had been evacuated so the only people there were the royal couple, the tantalus gang, Ruby amongst them, Freya, Amarant, Steiner, Beatrix and some guards. Vivi, Eiko and Quina had left out of their own free will, although Eiko had needed a little bribery. Ice-cream and chocolate. Ruby looked shocked, but was able to keep herself restrained. Blank felt her begging eyes on him but he did not manage to force himself to look at her. Still too soon.  
  
Zidane lifted up a coat, that somebody had covered the victim with, to reveal the body. There was blood everywhere. The body was more or less as Blank had remembered. The rough work on the cut through the womans throat, her soaking wet gown, her hair all over the floor, but her eyes had been closed by someone.  
  
And there it was! Blank saw it now so clearly. Why had he not noticed that paper before? He crouched beside the body, stretched out his arm towards the womans head, but then hesitated, looking up at Zidane as if to ask if it was all right for him to touch. Zidane nodded. Blank opened the woman´s mouth. There it was, a letter. It was written with a totally normal handwriting, absolutely nothing was special about it. It was practically by the book. The paper had been folded so it would fit inside the woman´s mouth and Blank unfolded it. He read it first for himself, then aloud for the rest of them to hear:  
  
  
  
Oh, sinful soul, oh sinful one To where has all your honor gone?  
  
Frightful things your hands have done  
  
Evil that surpasses none  
  
Your soul is stained with blood so blue That nothing greater you can find To keep it hidden, long have you Concealed it insider your sick mind  
  
Since then you have been laying low To hide what you alone dost know In your nightmare, most hated fear You tell yourself what you want to hear  
  
Who am I? You know me well The memoirs deep inside you dwell And time alone to you will show  
  
I am your ally, but yet your foe  
  
-Be on the look-out for more 'treated' women. I will contact you again...  
  
  
  
Blank finished reading and looked up on the rest. None spoke. He was not surprised. He had stood up while reading and now he knelt again, looking for more clues on the body. But he found none. Finally Zidane spoke.  
  
'Who do you think it´s meant for?'  
  
The question came as a little surprise for Blank. He had thought it was quite obvious that it was meant for Zidane himself, being left there during his wedding and he being King now.  
  
'You, I think!' Blank answered.  
  
'I agree' Freya added.  
  
'....whatever...' Amarant commented. Blank thought it was his way of agreeing.  
  
'But what does he...' Garnet started but Blank cut her off.  
  
'It was actually a 'she'. I saw it while chasing her!'  
  
Garnet nodded. 'What does she mean by this 'sinful one' comment?'  
  
'Probably some loony making his or her sick jokes on us...' Baku exclamed. But Blank did not agree on that. This woman had her 'fulle femmes' (A/N: Danish I think...) or her full wit as some would prefer to call it. She was not just some loony. She had known exactly what she was doing, even if she would better had checked out her escape rute before striking. But still, Blank kept his yap shut. Maybe it was all in his head.  
  
'Well, the letter does say that she´ll strike again, so we better start looking for her!' Freya said thoughtfully.  
  
'Better hurry!' Blank answered. 'She´s long gone from the palace!'  
  
'Why didn´t you say so sooner, then?' Steiner asked him with a slight sound of irritation.  
  
'Didn´t think it wasn´t common knowledge.' Blank answered, fully aware that it was not a very good answer. He really should have mentioned this sooner.  
  
'No time to think about that now,' Beatrix exclaimed. She whistled and two guards came running to her. 'Battlestation!' she shouted like a real general. 'We need to find this woman and we need to find her fast. She´s going to strike again and we better stop her before she does. Ceal the city, guard all ways out and go door-to-door searching for her. NOW!' She kind of screamed the last order and the guards backed away from her before scattering off. 'No, wait!' she then shouted. The guards stopped and turned around. She then turned to Blank and asked: 'Did you see what she looked like?'  
  
'Yeah, but it was kinda da...'  
  
'Good,' she interupted him turning back to the guards and shouting, 'But first get her description to the royal scetch artist! This man here,' she pointed at Blank 'will help you!' Then she turned back to Blank gesturing him to follow the guards. Blank lowered his head and obeyed like a housebroken dog. It irritated him to leave the scene, just to describe the woman, whom he had not even seen the face of, to some rotten scetch artist. He wanted to stay and investigate, but then again, going up against Beatrix in her dominion was not such a good idea.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The scetch artist was quick working and soon had a scetch ready of the woman, exactly like Blank remembered her. Blank padded the artist on his back and left him with the guards. This had only taken about 20 minutes, so he would surely not have lost out of many things. He ran to the chapel, pausing only once to let a young maid pass him by, and telling her she should evacuate the building. She thanked him and smiled, but he did not return it.  
  
When he reached the chapel everyone except Ruby were gone. Blank cursed inside his head, blaming Beatrix for all of this. He slowly walked up to Ruby who sat in the back, not far away from where Blank had sat throughout the ceremony. Her face was expressionless except for the tears filling her eyes. Blank could see that she was trying so hard not to cry, but was barely succeeding.  
  
'Ruby?' he said as he reached her. She had not noticed him before so she looked kind of shocked but managed to keep herself under controle, or something along that line.  
  
'Oh, s´at you Blank?' She gave him a weak smile.  
  
'Where did the others go?' he asked her not returning her smile.  
  
'Oh, they went into da main hall for a meet´n!' she answered, her voice shaking.  
  
'Why are you here, then?' he asked, mainly out of obligation rather than concern.  
  
'Wait´n for you, darl´n!' She tried on another weak smile but it was very forced and then suddenly she burst into tears. She cried silently as her face disformed and tears flowed down her cheeks. She put one hand over her mouth and the other she placed on her chest, playing with a little necklace she always wore. Blank had given it to her about a year ago. Blank sighed and sat down beside her laying one arm over her shoulders.  
  
'No need to cry, you know.' he started then shutting his mouth, knowing this was not the right thing to say at a moment like this. Instead he offered her his arms. Like a child she plunged herself into his warm and comforting embrace. Blank felt her shake and twitch as she tried to back her feelings, but he acted as if he did not notice. Ruby had of course seen a few dead creatures and few human even, but none who had been killed without any particular reason, in as cruel way as this. It was just too craphic for her.  
  
Ruby cried for a long time, 15 minutes maybe. Blank did not say anything the whole time, mostly because he did not know what to say. He was very good in saying exactly what he was not supposed to say in critical times. Finally she pulled her face together, whiped the tears of her cheeks and stood up.  
  
'Shouldn´t we go see the others?' Blank asked her. She nodded. And they silently walked out of the chapel and headed for the main hall. The silent between them kind of awkward, and the headache continued to torture Blank.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* 


	2. A heir

I didn´t recieve much reviews for the first chapter, but I don´t care... even though I could use them, and then I´d know that someone was reading this... but anyway... here goes....  
  
  
  
Chapter #2  
  
//A heir //  
  
When Blank and Ruby entered the main hall they saw their friends (and their friends´ friends) standing in the middle of it, only Garnet sitting in a golden chair and Vivi wandering about with Eiko, exploring the paintings on the wall of the royal family. They heard Beatrix finishing off a sentence as they entered.  
  
'...and the north part of town has already been searched, but no sign of her, my Queen.' Beatrix was saying to Garnet, who nodded seriously.  
  
'Heya!' Ruby called and waved to the crowd, running towards them. Blank closed the door behind them and walked more slowly to the pack.  
  
'Good! You´re here!' Beatrix exclaimed as she spotted them. 'How did it go?' she asked Blank.  
  
'It went well!' he answered. 'Were you expecting it to turn into a bloody fight?' he asked her with a strange look on his face, both sarcastic and plainly surprised. Beatrix acted as if she had not heard him.  
  
'She can´t get out of the city, your majesty! We´ve sealed all the entries!' she stated, again like a very real and important general.  
  
'What if she´s already gotten out of the city?' Amarant asked, his head pointing down as if he was not speaking to anyone but himself.  
  
'What if she´s got friends in high places?' Marcus asked.  
  
'Friends in high places? What are you implying?! Bribery!?!?' Steiner stated, obviously offended. 'Here?! In ALEXANDRIA?!' he practically screamed towards Marcus.  
  
'Sorry, man! I´m just saying we shouldn´t block out any options...'  
  
'There is no one rotten enough in our ki.,' he paused looking at the newlywedded royal couple, 'the Queen´s and King´s kingdom to take bribery!' he stated as if it was final. Marcus just let out a small sigh, not bothering to take this conversation any further. He had made his point.  
  
'What if she´s not blonde? What if I didn´t see her well enough?' Blank asked. 'How are we going to find a woman in a kingdom the size of Alexandrie with this small amount of information we have about her?' His tone of voice was completely expressionless, not revieling anything he was thinking, rather than usual.  
  
'Enough of 'what if'´s, alright?' Ruby said, swinging her arms to emphasize. 'We´ve gotta find this wom´n,' she paused. 'You sure it´s a woman though, aren´t ya?' she asked staring at Blank with one eyebrow raised.  
  
'Yeah,' Blank answered. 'I´m definetly sure ´bout that!'  
  
'Yeah, we gotta find ´er b´fore she killes ´nother one!' Ruby stated, only saying what all the others were thinking.  
  
'Then we can not linger here!' Steiner exclaimed. 'Shouldn´t we move out!?' he asked Beatrix, who looked very thoughtful. Then she sighed, looked up at Garnet and asked.  
  
'What do you say, my Queen?'  
  
Garnet looked puzzled. She had not really gotten comfortable with all this responsibility over the past three years, and was quite glad that now Zidane would have something to say in the matters of the kingdom. She looked imploringly at him.  
  
'I think we should continue the search, even though we don´t have many clues. And tell your men to keep their eyes open for mortally wounded women!' Zidane said to Beatrix, sounding exactly like a king. The members of Tantalus looked at each other with amazement and ill conceiled joy. Cinna even slapped Zidane on the back, in a gesture of congradulations. Blank only grinned.  
  
Beatrix saluted and turned towards the door, a grim look on her face. Steiner also saluted, but then paused because Beatrix had not really told him to follow her. Halfway to the door Beatrix turned around and yanked her head towards the door looking at Steiner who, obviously relieved, ran after her. Blank thought he looked rediculous, like a broken down husband.  
  
'What about the rest of us?' Freya said and Amarant nodded. 'We should do something, shouldn´t we?'  
  
'We´ll do more good than these armour-clad goonies!' Blank added looking directly at Garnet, but she did not really know if he was looking at her. She had never gotten used to his strange appearance or his silent nature. He kind of scared her.  
  
'Well, um... yeah, you should.' she started, really not knowing what to say. Then Zidane came to her rescue.  
  
'Just go out there and investigate on your own. It´s probably for the best to travel in small groups. Just don´t get yourselves killed, all right!' he said, looking thoughtfully on each and everyone of them. Except for Blank, of course.  
  
They all nodded and started for the door. Freya and Zidane convinced Eiko that it would probably be best if she stayed in the palace with Vivi, Zidane and Garnet, for their protection, which was of course a false reason, but she did not need to know that. Quina only asked where the kitchen was.  
  
'When you come back from woman-hunting, me give you good food!!' Quina said excited.  
  
Blank only shook his head and went to join the Tantalus gang.  
  
'We shouldn´t be traveling in this big a group so,' Baku said 'we´ll just split up!'  
  
Well, duh, Blank thought.  
  
The Bereno brothers had not made it to Alexandria there were only Baku, Cinna, Marcus and Ruby there beside Blank.  
  
'Ruby, you stay behind!' Blank told her without even looking at her. She looked at him angrily. 'Why?' she asked him, irritated already.  
  
'You won´t handle it!' he answered her plainly.  
  
'What?! Shuddup Blank!!' She was quite angry all of a sudden.  
  
'Baku, back me up here!' Blank asked Baku looking at the ground. He knew Ruby was angry at him and did not want to look at her.  
  
'He´s right, ya know!' Baku said thoughtfully. 'Sorry kiddo, but you were shaking in there over the body! Don´t think I didn´t notice! I´m surprised you didn´t break down and cry on the spot!' he added. Blank saw that Ruby´s eyes suddenly found the floor very interesting.  
  
'Well, I wanna go!' Ruby kept on without looking up.  
  
'But you won´t!' Baku protested. 'And that´s final!' Ruby looked up with dead-cold eyes on Blank before turning away, stomping to the door. She was obviously mad and Blank feared that she would keep that mood for several days. But it was for her own good, he thought to himself. She would not have handled it. Just minutes before she was shaking with fear over one dead body. It could turn messy out there. She would only get herself killed. Blank also knew that deep inside he did not want Ruby outside while this women killer was loose. She could get to be the next victim, if she was lucky.  
  
Blank pushed that thought out of his head and started paying attention to Baku´s plan. Well, it was not really that big of a plan, really. Marcus and Blank would search the northen and eastern part of town together while Baku and Cinna would scout the western and southern part.  
  
'Great plan, ya?' Baku asked.  
  
'Great! Outstanding! Utterly, unbelievable fabulous! I´m out of words that could possibly describe this fantastic plan!' Blank said with a completely monotone voice, filled with sarcasm. Baku frowned at him and nipped Cinna, gesturing him to follow him out, and he did.  
  
'Come on, Blank!' Marcus said to Blank and they walked out of the castle.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The city was quiet. Most people stayed in their homes, orders from the general, and the only sound that could be heard was the clinging sound of the law enforcement running around in their clumsy armour. Marcus and Blank were hiding in the shadows, looking suspicious, but were not spotted by the military.  
  
'Idiots!' Marcus exclaimed when they had passed them by without noticing them.  
  
'They´re never going to find her' Blank added shaken his head. 'She´s pretty good at sneaking around. Probably a thief or an assasin.'  
  
'You think she´s left town?' Marcus asked curiously.  
  
'No, I don´t think so, jugding by the letter she left!' Blank answered. 'But I bet she has a hideout somewhere, that´s difficult to find. I think you´re right! She probably has some friends in high places!' he said looking out over the street.  
  
'Well, then, lets get started! We´ve gotta find this hideout soon.'  
  
Blank nodded.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
That nights search did not show any results. Or the next. Or the next 24 to be precise. For a whole month they did not find the woman, and she did not strike again. Slowly, Beatrix begun to slacken her lookout over the city and things got back to the form they were before the wedding. Zidane was getting quite comfortable with the situation the 'king' title put him in and he and Garnet were shining with joy. And Baku was thinking about going back to Lindblum with Tantalus.  
  
'No point in hanging ´round here when ya can be working back home!' he told Zidane when he asked them not to go. 'Ruby´s gonna stay, ya know! With her mini-theatre an´ all! And we maybe coming here next fall to help her out with one of her shows! Not like we´re never gonna see ya again!' he said to Zidane with his great voice, slapping Zidane square on the back, like always. Zidane, who had not needed to do anything more then stand up or sit down for the past month was nearly blown off his feet, but managed to keep his dignity, though barely. Blank, who was standing behind Baku chuckled a bit. Zidane gave him an evil eye over Baku´s shoulder. Things had begun to grow better between them now. The tention long gone.  
  
'We´ll be leaving tomorrow!' Baku said, and walked away, waving his hand at Blank, who followed him out.  
  
'You´ve had any business propotions back in Lindblum?' Blank asked Baku as he half-ran beside him, trying to keep up with his big steps.  
  
'Naaaw,' Baku answered. 'Just homesick, really!'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
That night Blank did not sleep at all. His head, that had been nearly acheless the past month, was about to explode. Blank could feel his heartbeat pound up into his head and all the blood getting stuck up there, refusing to go down again. He felt numb and could not move, not even to stand up and walk to the bathroom to get a glass of water. His eyes were about to burst out of his head and the belt was getting really tight, Blank thought. Maybe he ought to take it off, for the first time in years. He reached to unbuckle it, but then he heard that the alert horns blown. It was a frightening sound, and Blank yanked down his hand when he heard it. These horns were not used unless all the military inforcement of Alexandria was needed on duty. Blank knew right away that another woman had been killed. He hurried out of his room and made his way to the main hall, the hallway blurred from the pain and his feet not responding as they should. When he finally made it to the main hall he was soaking wet with sweat, but then the ache suddenly stopped and he was able to see clearly again.  
  
It was still early morning and the sun had not even begun to rise, but the hall was lit and Blank could see the whole 'gang' present in the middle of it. Only Quina had returned back to it´s home, Quee´s Marsh. Blank found that rather sad because when they had returned from the search a month before Quina had given them a feast like none other. Pork and lamb and foal and beef all in the same dinner, and it had been the greatest meal Blank had ever had! It was obvious that Quina loved to cook.  
  
But now was no time to think about that so Blank pushed that thought aside and ran to the others.  
  
'.was discovered in the southern part of town, my majesty!' Blank heard Beatrix saying when came into earshot. Great, he thought. I´m always late!  
  
'What took you so long?' Baku asked him and hit him with his elbow but Blank just sent him a quick look and then turned his attention to the conversation between the royal couple (he had now gotten used to the idea) and Beatrix.  
  
'Is she still there?' Zidane asked Beatrix with a faint expression of sorrow on his face.  
  
'Yes, and she is still untouched! We didn´t look for any clues on her! We thought you might want to do it yourself.' she answered. 'But the murderer is long gone! We are searching the city as we speak! If she´s still in the city she won´t get away this time!!' Zidane nodded and they all went out to the southern part of town to have a closer look on the woman.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
On the way Blank inspected the faces of his companions. Some, like Vivi and Ruby, were frightened, and others, like Amarant and Freya, were expressionless. Blank thought it was a stupid idea to let Vivi, Eiko and Ruby to come along, but he was not going to say anything. It was not his problem.  
  
The woman lay on the ground in front of a small house. Beatrix told them that she had lived in that house and had just gone out to shoo the straycats from her garbage can, and when she had not come back her husband had gone searching for her and found here dead on the street. She was blonde with long, shiny hair. She was not old, probably in her mid twenties, and was very beautiful. She had been done the same way as the one before her. Her throat was cut, her head barely attached to her body. Blank shuddered a bit with horror as he saw her and shook his head. Ruby covered her eyes and Amarant slowly walked towards her, looking at the cut.  
  
'It´s done exactly like the other one!' he exclaimed, one of his hand playing with his beard and the other placed on his hip.  
  
'Vivi. Eiko. Let´s go get ourselves a cup of hot chocolate!' Blank heard Garnet say, her voice shaking a bit.  
  
'ok..' Vivi answered and turned his back on the woman with a sigh of relief.  
  
'But I wanna see!!' Eiko shouted, but Garnet forced her to follow. Why did they have to see this, Blank asked himself, not getting any answers, of course.  
  
When the three were out of sight Zidane knelt down beside the woman looking for clues, most preferably a letter like before. He looked inside her mouth, where the other letter had been before, but it was empty. Then he rummaged through her clothes, checked her hands and even her ears and nose. Nothing!  
  
Strange, Blank thought. The letter clearly said that she would contact Zidane again. Just killing a woman would nott really say much. There just had to be a clue of some sort. When Zidane finally stopped, after looking in every place he could possibly think of, Blank positioned himself directly over the victim´s head. He looked over the body, thinking of possible places to hide a letter, but they were few and Zidane had checked almost everyone of them. Except for one. He knelt down and, hesitating a little to beg the poor woman for forgiveness, stuck his hand inside her dress and in her bra he found a letter.  
  
'What a weird place to put a letter,' Marcus said sounding suspiciously pleased.  
  
Blank unfolded the letter, after looking at the King for a permission, and read it aloud:  
  
  
  
Ninny, ninny, sonny dear Can´t you feel your kin draws near Disappeared but back again Never known, not now nor then  
  
We will hunt you, we will seak Gazing through the flesh so weak You cannot hide, you know it well We´ll drag you out of your shell  
  
We are getting impatient, we need our heir. Come see us soon, or you will be sorry!! You know where we hide!  
  
  
  
This letter was much shorter than the one before it but was written with the same handwriting. These smooth, uncharactaristic, perfect letters.  
  
Blank looked up at Zidane and saw that his eyes were troubled. Of course they were, who would not be troubled after hearing something like this standing over a freshly killed woman! A murder that had been done because of him. Shocked was the right way to feel.  
  
'A ninny, huh?' Cinna chuckled a bit. Baku stuck his elbow in Cinna´s side and gave him an icy look. Cinna shut his mouth.  
  
' 'your kin draws near' ? What´s that supposed to mean?' Freya almost whispered.  
  
' 'your kin' ? Strange.' Amarant agreed.  
  
'They´re talking ´bout more monkey men?' Ruby asked. Zidane looked at her a bit hurt. 'Sorry. Genomes.' she added, putting on a faint smile.  
  
'You know where they hide?' Baku asked Zidane curiously. Zidane shook his head.  
  
'I don´t even know who they are!!' he said with a hint of despair.  
  
'Well, I guess we better look for them though...' Blank said in his monotone voice. 'That´s all we can do for now! I think it´s quite clear that this woman is deadly serious, and she isn´t going to stop on her own!' The other nodded silently in agreement.  
  
They started back to the palace and Beatrix yelled some orders to nearby guards indicating that they should take care of the body. Blank stood over the woman for just a moment, angry about this pointless murder. Then all of a sudden he heard a thud from above him. He turned around quickly but couldn´t see anything, the sun still down, and the sky dim above him. The sound had come from the roof of the house, and it had sounded as if someone was jumping between two rooftops. But Blank couldn´t see anything and try as he might, he couldn´t hear any more sounds (except for the clinging in the guards´ armour...).  
  
Maybe it had just been a bird...  
  
Who are 'they', Blank thought to himself before walking away.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* 


	3. death

Maybe I ought to have mentioned this before... I do not own the world this happens in, or most of the main characters! There will be one in this chapter that I created, Veranda, but that´s all! I own the plot, but nothing more! Thank you!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
// death //  
  
For another week they searched the city, but there was no sign of the woman or her followers, if there were any. Blank was getting really impatient, and the headache was getting ever worse and was closing to be more than he would be able to handle. Now he spent most of his time alone in his room, but Tantalus had not left the city now that the woman had struck again. Blank hated this. He hated the waiting. Now that they could not find them all they could do was to wait for another clue and that meant they had to wait until they struck again.  
  
Ick, Blank thought, lying on his bed. Why couldn´t the wedding just go smoothly and we would have gotten out of here a long time ago. I miss the theatre life! And stealing!! How long has it been since I stole something? God, I have to steal something! Soon! Tonight! FUCK this headache!! I can´t always lay like this whenever I.  
  
But his selfpitying thoughts were suddenly stopped from the sound of the alert horns being blown. Blank raised himself up in the bed and shook his head. This could only mean one thing.  
  
Blank ran to the door and headed, like always, to the main hall. But halfway there he saw people crowded in a circle out in the lobby.  
  
Great, he thought. Always the last one to the sceen...  
  
Blank could see Zidane´s lively tail lying flatly on the floor out of the crowd and hurried towards it. When he got closer he could see Vivi sitting by a wall, crying, and Eiko by his side trying to comfort him, and Garnet stood in Freya´s arms, burrying her face in the ratlike woman´s coat. Amarant and Beatrix stood expressionless in front of the door and Blank could see Steiner behind them talking to a guard. But the sight of his fellow Tantalus members frightened Blank the most. Their faces were disfigured with obvious pain and when Baku spotted Blank he just shook his head in defeat, looked briefly down on the floor and then back at Blank, his eyes filled with doubt. But Blank could not see the floor because of the crowd of guards.  
  
When Blank was only about six feet away from Zidane, Zidane suddenly looked up and stared straight in Blank´s face. Then without saying a word he stood up and walked slowly to Blank, who had stopped dead in his tracks. He had cought a glimpse at the victim and had frozen in his steps.  
  
No, he thought.  
  
Zidane placed his right hand on Blank´s left shoulder and bowed his head.  
  
'I´m sorry, man.' he whispered, his voice sounding strangely far away to Blank.  
  
Is it.?  
  
'Vivi and Eiko were here when. it happened. but they´re too upset to tell us anything.' Blank thought he could hear Zidane say, but was not really sure. His hearing was not working properly.  
  
Was it.?  
  
'She´s gone, you know!' Zidane´s voice kept on.  
  
Did I see.?  
  
'The murderer I mean!' But Blank could not hear. His mind had figured it out, finally.  
  
Ruby!  
  
Her hair was lying on the floor, glittering as starlight. He had seen her gloved hand lying lifeless on the floor, her eyes closed and her throat wide open. Blood all over her dress and face, and all around her on the floor was an ocean of that red, thick liquid that seemed to burn Blank´s heart.  
  
He pushed Zidane aside and half-ran to her. She was completely lifeless, or her body that is. First he looked at her startled, not believing what he saw, but slowly the horrible reality found it´s way inside his mind, forcing him to see the truth layed out before him. His eyes filled up with tears and he felt his body getting numb.  
  
No! It´s just a horrible dream. My eyes are playing tricks on me!! It´s the belt! I´m seeing things! I´ve lost my mind! The headache! It´s GOT to be the headache!! Please, anything but this!  
  
But there was no denying it. Ruby was lying on the floor, lifeless as an empty shell. As Blank knelt beside her he could hear Vivi´s cries. 'I just froze! I couldn´t move with fear! And then she cut her throat. and. we just went out for a cup of root-beer! I´m sorry!!'  
  
Blank lifted up Ruby´s head, gently. He placed it in his lap and stroked her hair carefully with his left hand as if it was of pure gold. He stroked her hair again and again, not ever wanting to stop, not ever wanting to let her go. Only now he realized how much he loved her, but now it was too late! Blank cursed himself silently as he thought about the fact that he had not ever showed it to Ruby. Blank you STUPID COWARD!  
  
'Come on.' Blank heard Marcus say. 'We´ve got to inspect her.'  
  
But no! I don´t wanna let go!  
  
Marcus pulled Ruby out of Blank´s hands and raised him to his feet. 'There may be more clues.' he said while walking Blank to the wall where Vivi sat, crying his eyes out. 'Just sit here,' Marcus said, but Blank did not seem to hear him. 'We´ll take care of the rest. You OK by yourself?'. When Blank did not show any signs of hearing Marcus asked one of Garnet´s maids to come sit next to him. The maid was dressed in a blue dress, with a white apron tightly bound around her waist and a white shirt. Very stylish actually, like Garnet wanted them, but Blank was in no mood to notice that.  
  
It can´t be, it can´t be it can´t be it can´t be!  
  
'Hiya, hon!' the maid said to him carefully while sitting down beside him, leaning against the wall. 'Do you really want to stay here?' she asked him carefully when he did not respond to her.  
  
Blank, who had not even looked in the girl´s face, was staring on the floor, looking like he did not even see it. He did not move and his face was expressionless, like always. The girl looked at him, hesitating, not knowing what to do. She could not see his eyes so she was not sure if he was crying.  
  
He wasn´t.  
  
'Oh, sorry,' she blabbed then all of a sudden. 'Forgot to introduse myself! My name´s Veranda!' she said smiling at him.  
  
That sentence seemed to have gotten through to Blank, because he looked up at the girl now. And stared.  
  
'And your´s Blank, right?' she said, a little too cheerily maybe, she thought, but it was best not to act like in a burial. That would only make matters worse.  
  
When Blank looked at her he realized that he had seen her before. She was the maid he had stopped for and told to evacuate the palace the night of the first murder. The same dark hair, short but mature, kind of pointy ears and blue eyes. She was not tall, but she was not short either. About the same height as he, to be precise. But Blank´s mind was not capable of coping with the fact that she was pretty. Not now...  
  
'Come on, hon,' she said to him, pulling his arm, making him stand up. 'Let´s get out of here,' and she gently dragged him away from the hysteric crowd that was inspecting Ruby´s dead body.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Blank sat on the bed looking at the wall in front of him. Veranda was folding his trousers (A/N: Yes, he has trousers!!!) and putting them in his drawer, then dusting his nightstand and lamp. Then she looked at him. He had been sitting there ever since she brought him up, not speaking, not eating, not moving for the past 2 hours.  
  
My god, isn´t he ever going to do anything? she asked herself, but she couldn´t find the answer, of course. After all, it was obvious that he was in quite a shock, much more than most of his companions, actually. It was the last thing she had expected of him. She had often seen him striding around the hallways of the palace, not looking at anyone, but himself looking very strange and, in some bizarre way, extremely important. She had bet he did not think so himself, but he was quite handsome, even though he looked like he had been sown together by god´s handicapped child from bits and bits of it´s own torn dolls. He had this glow about him that said he was something big. Even bigger than she herself could begin to imagine.  
  
But she was not thinking about that, of course. Or that was what she told herself.  
  
'Veranda?'  
  
His voice startled her. She spun around to face him and saw him looking at her.  
  
'Yes?' she answered.  
  
'Why are you still here?'  
  
The question surprised her.  
  
'I´m here in case you´ll need any kind of help!' She chose the words carefully.  
  
'I don´t need any help!' he said at her, maybe a little bit to harsh.  
  
'Then that´s all right, hon!' she said, a little surprised. But then again, he was in a shock so she had to be extra considerate. 'I´ll be in the kitchen if you´ll need me later on!'  
  
'I won´t!' he said, looking back at the wall.  
  
Veranda opened her mouth to say something nice, but did not think of anything so she shut it again. Maybe it was better not to say anything. She left his room silently, leaving him still sitting on the bed, and walked to the kitchen.  
  
She could not help but feeling a little hurt, after the way he had talked to her. She had always thought he looked like a nice guy. Maybe she had been wrong. His words had stung her deeply. How foolish, she thought to herself, to let a guy like this get under your skin! It´s not like I know the man!  
  
In the kitchen the chef was preparing dinner.  
  
'Lend me a hand, will ya?' he asked Veranda, pointing at the potatoes that were piled up on a table to her left. 'We need them ready, fried and hot, in about 15 minutes. Most of the girls are still in shock after that Ruby girl´s death, but you´re all right, ain´t ya?'  
  
'Hm-mh!' she answered and started washing the potatoes, with her mind on other things.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Dead.  
  
Now that sounded a little strange.  
  
He tried it again.  
  
Dead.  
  
. . still not fitting. .!  
  
It had been her hand, her hair, her blood on the floor, but Blank still couldn´t cope with the idea.  
  
No, he couldn´t think about it now.  
  
He had sent, what was her name, Verdana, out. He had wanted to be alone, and he didn not really know her. She seemed friendly enough, but not now. This was not the time to make new friends. When the old ones get killed you don´t just replace them with the next friendly person.  
  
Killed! He shuddered with the thought.  
  
She had helped him alot though. If he had been alone there was no telling what he might have done! To himself or anyone else for that matter.  
  
The numbness was deserting him now, and the reality begun to edge it´s way into his mind, playing tricks on him, making him feel. vulnerable and very foolish.  
  
He had just cracked when he saw her. In front of everyone! He did not even stay there to investigate, or even went out to try to find the fucking bitch. That blonde, greenclad bitch who had killed Ruby. He had just froze, like Vivi. But Vivi was still a child, so no one expected more of him. But Blank was a grown man!  
  
Ugh, he felt like a fool.  
  
He thought if he would ever get to see her again. Ruby that was. Even dead she was still as beautiful as ever. Her skin had always been pale so the change was not much. But her eyes, god he missed those eyes, were now forever closed.  
  
I´m getting too sentimental. That´s not like me at all! he thought, making an evil face and letting himself fall backwards on the bed. He had been sitting so still ever since he and Veranda had come up to his room. How long had it been? 15 minutes? 30? 8 hours? A week!? He did not really know, and did not really care.  
  
Dead.  
  
Now that word was sinking in.  
  
Dead.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Anything?' Beatrix asked Steiner after he had saluted her. He merely shook his head.  
  
'The third time in a row that we haven´t been able to find her, my liege!' he answered grimly. 'We´ve found almost every wanted person in the kingdom searching for her, but never did we come across a place where.' he hesitated. '.they could be hiding!'  
  
Beatrix nodded and walked away, Steiner saluting behind her. She went straight to see the King and Queen. It was strange to be now serving a royal pair, a King, not just a Queen. Zidane came across to her as a very special boy, or a man, and she did not fully trust him yet.  
  
What was she thinking? It was not in her duty to question her superiors. She shook her head, halting. Don´t think about it, girl, she thought before she entered the royal chamber.  
  
The door was open so she tapped lightly on it, to announce her presence. Garnet was standing near one window, looking out over the kingdom, and Zidane was standing behind her, holding her waist with one hand and petting her hair with the other. My, my, Beatrix thought. Aren´t we in love?  
  
'Yes, Beatrix?' Garnet said when she noticed Beatrix standing at the door. She saluted and then made her statement. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Ekkert. Ingen ting. Garnet´s eyes went sad, even sadder than they had been.  
  
'But we´re still trying, and will continue to do so, unless you decide otherwise!' Beatrix exclaimed.  
  
'I feel just awful,' Garnet said, her voice barely audible. 'Ruby´s gone, and we can´t even find her murderer!' She looked at Zidane hopelessly for some comfort, but he looked even more lost than she did. Then he just put both his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair. She laid her hands on his and bent her head to face the floor. Beatrix slowly made her way to the door.  
  
Stomping down the hallway she could hear guards shouting but that was not uncomon and it did not interest her at all. She was lost in thoughts.  
  
Why didn´t. they leave any clues? she asked herself. There was no letter! We searched the entire body of the girl! And why did she, the murderer, decide to attack inside the palace, in broad daylight in front of witnesses? And how did she get inside? Beatrix´s head was bursting with thought.  
  
And the terrible fact that the victim had been a friend of the royal pair. And what a nice girl! Beatrix had talked to Ruby sometimes and found her quite adorable and deffinetly a honest person. It was bad to see her dead.  
  
Horrible, just horrible, was the last thing she thought to herself before slamming into a dark cloaked figure.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Dinner was served and the royal couple and all their friends attended. All but Vivi and Blank. Veranda was quite disappointed. She had wanted to talk more to Blank, just to see if he was OK, of course. What other reason could there be?  
  
She had not heard from him after she left him alone in his room and was beginning to worry.  
  
Why? She did not know. Compassion? No, she was not the emotional kind of girl. Maybe it was just curiosity. Yes, that was it! Curiosity! God, it was great to have some kind of reason.  
  
Veranda had been put in the chore of filling glasses at the dinner table. It was quite a boring job, because she did not get to sit down once during the whole dinner, and sometimes it could last up to 2 or 3 hours. Now, after only 20 minutes, Veranda´s feet were killing her. Standing still was kind of hard when all you feet wanted to do was to run out of the dininghall and to Blank´s room.  
  
Because that was what Veranda really desired to do.  
  
But of course she did not admit it to herself.  
  
Suddenly she saw Marcus hold up his glass, indicating that she was to fill it with wine. Veranda slowly walked to Marcus and started pouring the thin liquid into his glass. To her surprise Marcus spoke to her.  
  
'Yo, where did you take him?' he asked without looking at her.  
  
'Up to his room, my sir.' she answered lika a well trained maid.  
  
'Don´t 'sir' or 'thou' me, please!' he said with a hint of disgust in his voice. 'Did he say anything?' he added.  
  
'No, nothing, Marcus.'  
  
He looked at her. 'You know my name?'  
  
She blushed. 'Of course! You´re one of the Tantalus members, no?'  
  
He nodded.  
  
'I´ve been cleaning your rooms and once I brought you dinner to your room. I can´t help learning your names, si.' and she stopped, and blushed even more. 'It wasn´t supposed to sound sarcastic or anything.' she started but he cut her off, laughing.  
  
'It´s OK, girl!' and he gulped down some wine. 'Jus' asking, that´s all! No big a deal!'  
  
But his eyes spoke a different way.  
  
Another glass was raised at the other end of the table, by Amarant, so Veranda excused herself and walked to the other end.  
  
Amarant. He had always scared her, in a good sort of way, if there was one. He acted like a bad, tough, big guy, but she really thought he was different. No sissy, of course, but still not a bad guy.  
  
But he still scared her.  
  
Her feet continued to torment her as she poured Amarant some wine. The rest of the dinner was not any better.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Halt!' Beatrix shouted at the dark figure, running down the hallway. She had not seen it before slamming into it, but now when she saw the guards racing after the figure she ran after it as hard as she could. There was of course no doubt in her mind that it was the killer. Who other would be hiding in the palace like that? What was she still doing there, anyways?  
  
'Halt!!' Beatrix shouted again, but the dark figure did not seem to hear her and did not turn around. Not that Beatrix had expected that, really. But judging by the figures movements it was most deffinetely a woman, clad in green, just as Blank had described.  
  
Blast it! Beatrix thought. She´s headed for the royal chambers!  
  
If she would do something to the Queen Beatrix herself would do something VERY unpleasant to her!! But of course, she would not let anything happen to the Queen in the first place.  
  
'Sound the alert horns!!' she ordered a guard that she ran past, and he ran up to the upper balconies.  
  
Blast it, run FASTER! Beatrix demanded of herself. FASTER!  
  
But all though she ran as fast as she could she could not keep up with the woman. The guards had given up a long time ago so now there were just the two of them.  
  
Darn it, she turned to the right. But that isn´t the way to the Queen´s chamber.?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Blank, who had fallen asleep from his thoughts, woke up by the unpleasant sound of the alert horns.  
  
Again?, he thought. Twice in one day? Very impressive!  
  
He shook his head, that was not a proper thought.  
  
Blank jumped out of bed and ran to the door. The headache was back and he could not quite see clearly.  
  
He slammed up the door and stepped out in the hallway. Then suddenly he was ran into by a womanly figure, clad in a dark cloak. The figure halted for a moment, then reached out it´s hand and gripped at Blank´s right one, then continued down the hallway. Blank had not been able to see the woman´s face clearly, because of the headache. But he was able to hear Beatrix´s shouts.  
  
'Stop that woman! Blank do something!!' he heard her scream, but was in no shape to grab the meaning of the words and put it in connection with what had just happened. He clutched his fist closed and rested himself against the wall besides the door. The cloakclad woman was out of sight and Beatrix came up to him, gasping for air, looking at him angrily, trying to find the words to fit.  
  
'Why. didn´t. you. stop. her!?' she said while inhailing large amounts of air.  
  
'Who?' Blank said in stupidity, holding his head.  
  
'Who!?' Beatrix was shocked and raged. 'The darn woman who just killed your girlfriend this morning!!! Don´t you remember?' she shouted at him in disbelief.  
  
'She wasn´t my girlfriend.' Blank explained carefully.  
  
'Does that really matter now?' Beatrix asked with a hint of despair in her voice, laying one hand over her one revieled eye and shaking her head.  
  
Blank looked at her with a hurt face, reached out his hand to grab Beatrix´s shoulder and was about to say something, when he saw a folded letter fall out of his palm. The woman had given it to him in that handshake. He looked at it in amazement for a while, until Beatrix, realizing he was not going to pick it up, bent down and recovered it from the floor. She turned it around in her hands, looking at it from all angles, and after making sure it was just an ordinary letter she handed it to Blank, who looked at her surprised.  
  
'She handed it to you,' she said. 'Come now, open it!' She twitched her head backwards.  
  
Blank silently took the letter out of Beatrix´s hand and unfolded it. It was written in those perfect letters, like the other two.  
  
My oh my why aren´t we thick Blood so pure and mind so sick I warned you, I did, so do not hate Your girlfriend´s death was just a bait  
  
We need it´s powers and greatest force To help out purpose and please his needs But only a true heir knows the source And you´re the last one of the pureblooded, sophisticated mindless fools who lived out their lives only to serve another human being! Now, isn´t that sad!?  
  
COME NOW! You are the one we want! Come see us now and no others will die! We won´t warn you again!  
  
The last part of them poem was written like in haste and anger. Still with smooth, perfect letters, but it had this recklessness about it also that told you the writer had not been in a perfect mood.  
  
The fact that it ended in chaos supported that theory.  
  
Blank looked at it in disbelief. They were still going on about that? Now!?  
  
But another thing troubled him as well. Was that letter for him? It certainly was not for Zidane. It was common knowledge that he was married to the Queen and so Ruby could not have been mistaken for his girlfriend. Could it really be for him?  
  
He could not think.  
  
Curse them! Who could be so utterly stuped to kill people just to get to another one and telling that person to come to them, without telling him where they were! Some are just TOO stupid, was the only thing Blank could think. Stupid stupid stupid stupid.  
  
'Well?'  
  
Blank stopped thinking. He had totally forgotten about Beatrix standing beside him looking at him like he was a lunatic! He had been making grim faces while he thinking and, well, was quite embarrassed that someone had seen him. And Beatrix´s staring did not make things easier.  
  
He handed her the letter. She read it fast but carefully, then looked up at him.  
  
'Is it for you?' she asked alarmed.  
  
'I don´t know,' he answered. 'but it´s not for Zidane!'  
  
'It´s not a very good poem,' she said thoughtfully. ' It´s like it was done in a hurry. And now there is some he and a source and a true heir? And what is this it that they need?' Blank just made a stupid face indicating that he did not know.  
  
'We ought to show someone!' Beatrix decided and started down the hall with the letter firmly in her grasp. Blank got steadily on his feet, the headache now gone, and followed her.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* 


	4. A barrier

This chapter is NOTHING like the other ones!! This dives more into the minds of my 3 main characters, that is Blank, Veranda and Beatrix! (strange combination!!)  
  
And don´t expect the obvious of me! I´m not used to follow any rules in my writing and if I really imply something´s gonna happen, it most probably won´t! ^_^  
  
Don´t kill me for the lack of action!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter #4  
  
//A barrier //  
  
Aahh!! Veranda was screaming insider herself. Her feet were killing her. They were aching so badly that she was beginning to be unstable on them and kind of rowed around like she was going to fall any second now.  
  
Owowowowow! she thought. Then she heard the alert horns blown. What? Again?  
  
All who were seated by the table, and had been for the past one and a half hour, blast them, sprang to their feet, looking very alarmed. All except Freya and Amarant.  
  
'W-what´s going on?' Veranda heard Cinna studder. Cinna had always come across to her as a very kind person. He was not very smart, but he had a heart to make up for that.  
  
'Just keep calm, everybody!' Zidane exclaimed.  
  
'Yeah right. Calm!' Amarant said with a sarcastic tone. Freya sitting beside him let out a small laugh that sounded almost like a chuckle. They had both been drinking quite a bit with the dinner, and there was a good deal of alchohol in that wine.  
  
Amarant raised his glass at the King and said in a loud voice with the same sarcastic tone;  
  
'So when the sky comes crashing down on all of us you´ll just tell us to be calm!? Do not take me for a fool,' he kept on, speaking as if he was a very important national hero, making a statement that his nation would never again be oppressed by the authorities and so on and so on, 'for I am no fool, in no ways, and this luuuuuvely lady here by my side,' he raised his glass at Freya, who chuckled a bit more, 'will most gladly tell you more about how bad I can be, if you catch my drift!' Then he winked at his companions, taking a sip of the wine. Freya was laughing out loud now, seemingly not aware of the fact that everybody was looking at her with a sick look.  
  
'O.. kay, then...' Marcus said, with a kind of frightened expression on his face. Veranda stifled a laugh.  
  
'Go see what the fuss is all about!' Steiner yelled to a guard standing near the door leading to the main hallway. The guard opened the door but that same instant Beatrix came bursting through the it, knocking him down. She walked right past him and so it came to Blank to help him to his feet.  
  
'Your majesty!' Beatrix shouted in a loud voice. 'Your majesty, I bring ye news!'  
  
My god, Veranda thought. They know each other well enough to skip those formal speeches. Won´t the noble ever see how stupid it sounds?  
  
'What are they?' Zidane and Garnet answered almost instantly. Beatrix shot Zidane an evil look before getting herself together. She spoke to Garnet;  
  
'We´ve found another letter!' she said holding up the letter Blank had gotten.  
  
Garnet gasped, along with most people in the room.  
  
'Another one murdered?' Zidane asked.  
  
'.no!' Blank spoke, to everyone´s surprise. He emerged from the shadows and the belt covering his face and the fact that most people had not noticed him come in made him very, very spooky.  
  
Veranda, who had luckily found a chair and thrown herself in it, felt her heart tumble as she saw Blank. For a moment she let herself be happy for just being able to see him, but then it was if she realized how she felt.  
  
Get a grip, she told herself firmly. This is no way to feel, you wuss!  
  
She pushed all that she had felt for Blank inside a little chest in her soul, and locked it. There it was to stay, forever. Because no one but her had the key, and she was not going to unlock it.  
  
'What? Where did you find it then?' Zidane, who was seemingly shocked with the fact that Blank was there and was talking, asked Blank.  
  
'I ran into the murderer and she handed it to me!' Blank answered and wanted to snatch back those words as soon as they slipped from his lips. He knew that this fact could get him into trouble.  
  
'You ran into her and let her go?!' Baku shouted with amazement. 'Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?!'  
  
'Wait, wait, wait, what did you say?' Steiner asked looking at Blank with two, wide opened eyes.  
  
'She handed it to you!? What were you two doing?' Marcus asked with a faint disbelieve in his eyes.  
  
'Oh, my god, I knew it all along!!' Eiko shouted, as if something had suddenly made alot more sense to her than it had for a long while.  
  
Blank raised his hands and bowed his head, not wanting to hear any more of these questions and announcements. But they continued yelling at him, asking him why he had not done anything, not letting him get the chance to speak. Finally Garnet stood up and to everyone´s surprise shouted at them;  
  
'Would you shut the fuck up for a moment!? Gheez!!!' she said with her hands on her hips. She was dressed in a white dress with bright blue stripes and bows, and a silver crown on her head. She looked very elegant and threatening, even though the dress was a bit naive. Then, realizing what kind of language she had just used, she sat down again, saying;  
  
'We should at least let Blank speak, before we rule that he is guilty of something!' she said, calming herself down and straightening the crumbles in her dress. The room was so quiet you could hear a fly fart. Everybody was looking at Blank, who did not like the attention he was getting one bit.  
  
'So, what happened?' Garnet asked him when he did not show any signs of spitting it out.  
  
'I.' Blank´s voice trailed out. He was estimating what he was going to say. He did not want the others to know about his headache. First of all that would only worry them and second of all it seemed to always come when something was about to happen. And he thought that they would think it was just too. 'convenient'. Then he voted against himself and decided to tell them the whole story, headache involved. 'I.' he started, but was then interrupted by Beatrix.  
  
'I saw it all happen! He didn´t do anything unproper, he was just dazed for reasons I myself do not know, but it was not his fault that the killer got away.' She spoke with real determination, that said that this was fin and it did not need to be discussed any more.  
  
Blank looked at Beatrix with questioning expression. He had always thought that Beatrix did not like him but then why did she speak up for him? Well, she saved his ass, that was for sure. He might have been labeled a trator if she had not done that. Blank had to remind himself to thank her later.  
  
'If that is the case, why didn´t you say so?' Baku asked Blank, with as innocent expression as he could come up with.  
  
Like you gave me a chance! Blank thought, but did not say it aloud.  
  
'Like you gave him a chance!' a voice rang out. Everyone turned to face Veranda who was now blushing with shame. She was not allowed to speak when she was working in the dininghall. This might cost her her job.  
  
Blank stared wide eyed (not that it could be seen.) at Veranda. He had not seen her sitting in the back and was most surprised to hear her speak up for him, after he talked to her the way he did earlier.  
  
'I am so sorry, please excuse my impudence, your majesty!' Veranda said, bowing in Queen Garnet´s direction. Garnet only nodded and, after giving Veranda a thoughtful look, turned her attention on other matters.  
  
'So what does the letter say?' she asked Beatrix because she held the letter. 'Something about more genomes?'  
  
'Why did she hand it to Blank, anyway?' Marcus added.  
  
Beatrix cleared her throat and then spoke in a voice, almost as silent as a whisper. 'Because it is for him!' She did not look at Zidane, but she knew he was shocked.  
  
'For him? How about the other ones that were meant for Zidane? Why are they also bothering Blank?' Garnet asked with a lost look on her face.  
  
'The other one´s weren´t for Zidane, your majesty. They were all meant for Blank! We just misjudged it.' Beatrix answered slowly, as if explaining to a child.  
  
'Well, how can you be sure?' Zidane asked, looking like he had been betrayed.  
  
Beatrix looked at him, this 19 year old boy who thought he knew everything, then unfolded the letter and read it aloud:  
  
  
  
My oh my why aren´t we thick Blood so pure and mind so sick I warned you, I did, so do not hate Your girlfriend´s death was just a bait (she glared at Zidane)  
  
We need it´s powers and greatest force To help out purpose and please his needs But only a true heir knows the source And you´re the last one of the pureblooded, sophisticated mindless fools who lived out their lives only to serve another human being! Now, isn´t that sad!?  
  
COME NOW! You are the one we want! Come see us now and no others will die! We won´t warn you again!  
  
When she finished she folded it again and handed it to Blank who stood beside her. Blank took it, his hand unwilling, and put it in his pocket, his hands kind of shaking. He was afraid of Beatrix´s power, but he felt that now he was on her good side. And he intended to stay there.  
  
When no one spoke Beatrix cleared her throat again, looked directly at Zidane and said;  
  
'We think it ´s for him because they mention Ruby as his girlfriend and then handed the letter to him in person. Now, if you have any other ideas about how to interpret these facts I´d like to hear them!' She spoke in an arrogant and sarcastic way, the way no general should speak to his or her superior. She realized that and then added: 'If you would be so kind.' And bowed her head as to emphasize, but it still sounded sarcastic..  
  
Zidane glared at her with eyes of pure dislike, but said nothing.  
  
Now, THIS is tense! Blank thought as he stood there in the silent room. Nobody dared to speak and most people stared down at their feet, except for Zidane, Garnet and Beatrix.  
  
'Well, isn´t that a *burp* partywrecker?!' Amarant said laughing. Freya chuckled.  
  
'Shut up!' Baku yelled at them. They were really getting on his nerves.  
  
Then Beatrix turned towards Garnet and spoke: 'What will you have me do, your majesty?' she asked Garnet, ignoring Zidane. Zidane just glared at her. Blank had never seen him so angry, and he did not like she sight of it. And if so small a thing got him so upset as he was, then something was not right. Zidane had been acting different since he came back, but who would not change after wandering around alone for 3 years? .... he had been alone, had he not?  
  
Garnet, who now looked fierce with anger, like Blank had never seen her before either, spoke in a loud voice; 'You two,' she was talking to Beatrix and Zidane, who were occupied glaring at each other. 'accompany me to my chamber, please!' she, not asked but ordered them. Beatrix nodded and followed her out. Zidane just went expressionless and walked along side his wife, who did not take his arm as he offered it to her.  
  
The door slammed shut.  
  
And there was an awfully awkward silence.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Veranda let herself fall backwards onto her bed. That dinner had been awful. She almost talked herself out of her job. It was a good thing that that fight between Zidane and Beatrix had started. That had requered Garnet´s attention and took the stress from Veranda herself. Maybe the Queen would just forget it ever happened. Veranda prayed that would be the case. What was she to do if she would loose her job? She did not want to think about it. Her family lived in Treno and she hated that place. That was why she had moved to Alexandria. To become a honerable maid for the royal family, or what was left of it. And in that part she had succeeded. But she did not have many friends.  
  
Oh, I´m diving in selfpity again! Stop it, or I´ll kick my own butt! she told herself.  
  
But she could not but wonder what the outcome of the fight would be. After the royal couple and the general had left the hall no one had spoken for about 5 minutes, except for Amarant and Freya, but that had just been drunk talk. Then, at last, Blank had decided that they ought to just disappear to their own rooms. Everyone seemed relieved that somebody else had made that decision and hurried out of the hall. Veranda only saw the back of Blank´s head disappear out the door. After cleaning up after the dinner and escorting Amarant, who could not stand straight on his own, to his room she had fled to her room, dying to plunge herself onto her bed. She had thought she would fall asleep on the spot, but that was not the case. She just lay there thinking.  
  
I miss my mum. Maybe I oughta go see her, before it´s too late. And I wonder how Bernard is doing? He´s gonna be 16 this summer! I haven´t seen him for two years, not since my 19th birthday. When I moved here. Gosh, I gotta go see them soon. I wonder how long my vacation this year will be. It was so short last year, that I couldn´t go home. Not that I wanted to, anyway.  
  
And out of these thoughts she fell asleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
General Beatrix was furious. She was angry with Zidane, but even more she was angry with herself. This was not very much like her. She had never spoken up to her superiors before, and she did not even know why she had started it now. Zidane just had this fine tactic to go on her nerves, and seemed to be using it alot. But most likely he was not trying to agitate her, maybe she just saw something in him that she did not like. Of course that was the deal, and she despised herself for letting go of her selfcontrol.  
  
Do it again and you´ll loose your job, dimwit! she screamed at herself in her mind.  
  
Garnet had been so furious, so forthcoming, so unlike herself. She had snapped at them both, Zidane and Beatrix, and basically told them to stop this meaningless and stupid competition, or she would have to take some actions. She did not say what those actions would be but neither of them wanted to find out so they just played along and made peace. But that would not be the end of it. Beatrix was sure that she would never get comfortable with taking orders from Zidane and he would plainly see that. He was also known to hold grudges.  
  
When they had left the Queens personal chamber and stormed back to the dininghall, the air still filled with frustration and anger, they found no one there.  
  
Great! Just GREAT! was the only thing that had crossed Beatrix´s mind.  
  
'What should I do now, your majesty?' she had asked the Queen, without wanting to hear the answer. She knew it without asking.  
  
'Search for her, even though there´s a little chance we will find her now.' Garnet answered. 'And please do ask Blank to come see us!' she added when Beatrix had turned her back at her, after saluting.  
  
'Yes, my Queen. Right away!' Beatrix answered without turning around. She deliberately only addressed the Queen.  
  
Now she was on her way to Blank´s room, frustrated over being used as a messenger boy, but still more furious with herself. Hopefully there would be some action now in this murder matter that would keep her from seeing Zidane for a few days. That would be a nice distraction.  
  
Zidane Tribal. The kid who had no home and no family, was made to destroy this world. Well, he had one sister, or whatever, who was currently living somewhere in Lindblum. Mikoto she was called, Beatrix remembered. The only Genome known to be living in Gaia besides Zidane, and maybe Kuja, but Zidane had not been willing to talk about him since he came back. Beatrix had never met the girl Mikoto, but was planning to change that fact. She had a growing suspision and was going to investigate on it.  
  
She knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again.  
  
Darn it! He´s not here? Beatrix thought, really bad tempered.  
  
She knocked once again.  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
The voice behind the door sounded as if it had been hiding and did not want to be found.  
  
'Hey, I have got to talk to you!' Beatrix half-shouted at the door, her irritation reflected in her voice.  
  
'Who is it?' Blank´s voice said. It did not really sound much like him.  
  
'Beatrix!'  
  
A little thud could be heard through as if someone had just thrown their feet out of the bed and onto the floor. There was a small clinging sound when Blank unlocked the door and then it opened.  
  
Blank frankly looked like shit. His hair was all messed up and the belt looked like it had been fastened in a hurry.  
  
He took it off?  
  
'What do ya want?' he asked grumpily. He obviously did not want to be disturbed.  
  
'The couple wants to see you, this instant!' she told him. He looked at the floor and rubbed his chin.  
  
'Right now?' he asked without looking up. She nodded. 'Why?'  
  
Beatrix really thought that question was stupid. Why?  
  
'Why do you think? Because of the letter. Because of Ruby´s death. Because we need to do something about all of this. Because you´re involved, and because it looks like you´re really important. Do you want more reasons? Because I have them!' she snapped at him.  
  
'Guess not.' he answered, stroking one hand through his hair, holding himself steady with the other. 'Just give me a sec, would ya? Gotta get myself together.'  
  
'All right! But be quick!' she told him. 'I´ll wait right here, then escort you to them. I guess I´ll have to be present!' She shuddered with that thought.  
  
He closed the door and Beatrix leaned against the wall, waiting.  
  
When he came out, after about 4-5 minutes, he looked more like himself. More confident, more dirty-clean like he always was, and the belt was straight wrapped around his head. He had obviously fixed it.  
  
I heard that he never took it off...  
  
And they walked side by side to the royal chambers.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Blank had hurried to his room after the dinner. He read the letter over and over again in the faint hope that he would find some hidden clues, something he and Beatrix had not seen before, but did not find anything. Not that he had really expected it.  
  
He sat on his bed with the letter in his hands. The bed was big, too big for him, he thought. Not that he was small, just the bed was too big. It was a royal size bed and Blank was not used to or comfortable with such luxury. He always lied on only one side of the bed, as close to the edge as he could be without falling out of it, and only used a corner of his pillow. He looked forward to going back to Lindblum where he lived in a dump.  
  
But that was not the most important thing on his mind this exact second.  
  
What the fuck are they talking about!? Sheez, can´t they even be frank? I´ve got to find this place, their hide-out! I´m gonna kill them all, starting with that blonde!! he thought, making a face. Then, as if he realized what he was thinking, he let the letter fall down from his grasp to the floor. Then he stared at it for a moment or two. This was not what he had wanted. The only thing he had wanted, he thought, was for a nice quiet life in Lindblum with Tantalus and maybe a pretty girl who he loved and loved him back.  
  
Guess that´s out of the question now.  
  
The headache was coming again. Blank hated how it never just stuck or completely went away. It seemed to plague him every time something was about to happen. That was why he decided to take the belt off him.  
  
Maybe it´s my eye! Maybe it´s the reason for this fucking headache! I can´t be sure until I take a look! Maybe it will go away when I take it off! It won´t hurt to check. will it?  
  
His hand shook as he reached for his headband, not wanting to take it off. He could not remember the last time he had taken it off. There were at least 8 years since he last did it, only 12 years old at the time. But he remembered looking in the mirror and despising the image he saw. One eye, his left, plain and simple, healthy, natural. It was green, big and open. But the right one.  
  
Blank unbuckled the belt and slowly dispatched it from his face. The light stung his one normal eye fiercely. He had not used it for 8 years.  
  
He was afraid to look in the mirror. It was strange to feel air touch his forhead and brows and he lightly stoke his fingers over his left eyelid. Then he paused. He stood up, placing the belt on the bed, and walked to the bathroom connected to his room.  
  
Please let it be alright, let it be. bareable! he thought, knowing his prayes would not be answered.  
  
And then he reached the mirror. He stared into his right eye, his machinery eye, and he went numb. It was as hideous as ever. Where the dark pupil was supposed to be was an ugly red light and his whole eye was made from grayish, shiny metal, his eyelids barely cowering it and there could be seen bright lights running through it every now and then. It looked like a very evolved machinery and complicated to make. But since Blank was no doctor and did not have the slightest interest in technique, he hated it. He thought it made him look alien, and frightening.  
  
He did not know how he had gotten it but he had had it ever since he could remember. And his first memory was from when he was six years old, waking up in an alley in Lindblum, looking like he had been in a fight. He most probably had, and most probably he had lost his memory from a blow on the head. The only thing he could remember was his name; Blank. He found that a bit peculiar, because so often people loose their memory and in most cases they remember almost everything EXCEPT their name. And that was not much to go with, so he had learned how to live in Lindblum on his own.  
  
Even at that young age people had stared at him out in the streets because he looked different. He begun to feel like an outcast and started hiding almost all the time, only going out in the night to steal some food. Then one day he had decided to steal from the wrong person. A huge man named Baku. Fortunetely Baku felt sorry for the small boy and took him into his group, Tantalus. Back then it had only been them and Marcus, the first kid Baku had saved from the streets of Lindblum. Then soon Cinna followed, then Zidane and finally Ruby. That had been only 4 years ago.  
  
Four years, and he had not told her once.  
  
Blank shuddered and stepped back from the mirror. The headache did not loose any of it´s eagerness so he slammed himself down on the toilet. There he sat for a while, gripping his hair.  
  
He had been seven years old when Baku had returned home with that strange belt thing. Blank never wanted to go outside during the day, and at last Baku could not take any more of seeing the child so helpless and vulnerable. He had asked his acquaintant, a scientist of some sort, to make this thing. It had cost him a pretty penny, but he did not care, and Blank had already paid him back. Baku had not been totally happy with that, but it was not for him to decide. Blank did not like to owe someone anything. Not even to the person in the world that was the closest thing to being his father.  
  
It was made so that somehow Blank´s eye was connected with an inner computer crafted in the belt that made it possible for the boy to see, without seeing, in a matter of speaking. It was like his brain saw through a bypass hooked up with that computer. But when he took the belt off he could see OK with his cyborg eye and the other one.  
  
But he almost never took it off. It was a part of him now. He felt. naked without it.  
  
Blank slowly walked to his bed and lied down on it, loosening his pants and rubbing his head, the ache still cutting through it.  
  
Then there was a knock on the door.  
  
Blank froze, and thanked himself in his mind for locking the door.  
  
There was another knock on the door.  
  
Please just go away!  
  
Then the third time.  
  
Well, guess I.  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
They had walked in silence. Until;  
  
'Beatrix?' Blank said, stopping.  
  
'What?' she said, her irritation wearing off.  
  
'Thanx!'  
  
'For what?'  
  
'Sticking up for me back there!'  
  
'Oh, that! Think nothing of it!'  
  
'Well, thanx anyway!'  
  
And they continued to the royal chambers.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* 


	5. A journey

Oooooo I hate how this never turns out right here!!! Anyways. . on with the show...  
  
Beatrix turnes out to be pretty bad tempered, don´t ya think? What the fuck am I doing...? They don´t seem to be communitcating very well.  
  
Reviews anyone?  
  
  
  
Chapter #5  
  
//A journey //  
  
'What?!'  
  
Blank stared at Zidane with disbelief.  
  
'Wait, wait, wait, WHAT!?'  
  
Zidane only stared back at him, his hands folded over his chest and Garnet standing beside him. Blank shook his head.  
  
'What?!'  
  
'Stop saying that!' Beatrix, standing beside him, said irritably.  
  
'You heard what I said, didn´t you?' Zidane asked Blank with a tone of superiority.  
  
'I heard you but I don´t understand you!' Blank answered.  
  
'It is for the best of everybody if you just went away from Alexandria for a while!' Garnet tried to reason with him. 'We just can not sit by and watch more women get killed without a obvious reason!'  
  
'So you´re banishing me from the kingdom of Alexandria!?' Blank half- shouted, his voice nearly sounding like a shriek.  
  
'No, we´re not banishing you, boy, we´re just making precautions!' Zidane answered him, his chin held high.  
  
It´s raining up your nose, boy! Beatrix thought, but said nothing. She did not want to risk saying something she would regret. (A/N: It´s a saying in icelandic. If it rains up somebody´s nose he cocky!)  
  
'No, not banishing me! Just sending me out to my death!!' Blank said, turning away. He felt betrayed.  
  
And kind of stupid.  
  
'Come now, Blank!!' Zidane shouted. 'We´re sending Beatrix with you, you know!' He pointed at Beatrix who was obviously shocked.  
  
'What!?' she yelled. 'Why am I being sucked into this!?' She stared at the Queen who only stared at her feet.  
  
'Because we aren´t going to send Blank 'out to his death' as he said!' Zidane answered her. That really irritated Beatrix and she stared at him with cold eyes. 'You´re going with him for his protection!'  
  
'I didn´t mean I couldn´t defend myself, but one against maybe a hundred isn´t a good odd and one more on my side doesn´t really make a difference!' Blank said with a tone that sounded like he had accepted the fact that he was going away, but had not realized it yet.  
  
Beatrix glared at him.  
  
'Not saying that you can´t fight!' Blank added.  
  
'This is just rediculous!' Beatrix exclaimed. 'And where are we supposed to go!?'  
  
'That is up to you!' Zidane answered. 'Lindblum, Burmecia, Treno, we don´t care! Just get out, allright!?' He sounded angry.  
  
'Yes, this is a real good way for a king to behave! Whenever there´s a problem in your kingdom just dump it on the neigbour!' Blank said sarcastically, looking at the floor and holding his head with one hand. Zidane gave him an evil look.  
  
'And you´ll be taking that maid with you!' Zidane added.  
  
'Who?' Beatrix asked.  
  
'The one who spoke during dinner.'  
  
'Veranda?' Blank asked surprised, looking at Garnet. 'Why?'  
  
'Oh, so you two know each other? What a coincidence!' Zidane said, sounding very sarcastic.  
  
'It´s not like I know her, we´ve met! But why is she going too?'  
  
'You´ll need a maid.'  
  
'Yes, because we can´t take care of ourselves.'  
  
'You won´t have to do all the dirty work or carry any luggage.'  
  
'Because we aren´t used to that! Come on Zidane, do you think I´m gonna let a girl carry all my luggage!? There´s something more to it, so just tell me!'  
  
'She´s going with you and that´s FINAL!' Zidane shouted, his face red with anger. 'Now - get - going!!' He stamped down his right foot like an angry sheep and pointed at the door.  
  
Blank looked at Beatrix, who looked back, and sighed in defeat. Then he turned and walked out the door with Beatrix at his heels.  
  
'God, I hate that kid!' Beatrix whispered.  
  
'What?' Blank said, not sure if he had heard her right.  
  
'Oh, nothing!' Beatrix answered, screaming at herself in her head. Do NOT think aloud!!  
  
'Who´s going to tell Veranda?' he asked her.  
  
'Let them take care of that!'  
  
'Yeah, maybe they´ll forget!'  
  
'You don´t want her to come?'  
  
'I don´t want to go, and I think she doesn´t either.'  
  
'We´ll see.'  
  
'Later'  
  
And they each walked slowly to their chamber.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Veranda was packing.  
  
Damn it girl!! It DID cost you your job!  
  
Her suitcase was on her bed and she was stuffing it full with clothes and other necessary things. And she was seriously pissed.  
  
Some messenger boy had brought her a letter from the King that said she was to leave the kingdom immediately. She was to pack her stuff and be ready at the palace entrance by morning, and it was somewhere around 22:00 hours now.  
  
She had been expecting something to happen after she spoke during dinner, but she was not prepared for something of this magnitude. She was being kicked out of the kingdom? And for what? Speaking up a little in the dininghall and then apologizing as if she was saving her life. That stupid, stupid royalty!  
  
She paused.  
  
No, don´t think like that! That won´t do you any good!  
  
She started shoving socks and skirts and trousers and shirts in the suitcase, mumbling to herself, cursing herself. She wondered where she was going to be sent. Hopefully not back to Treno. She wished to be sent to Burmecia. She had always wanted to see that country.  
  
But she was still mad. At herself and at her employee for being this harsh. But she still felt like she had it coming. She sat down on the bed after closing her suitcase.  
  
All ready, she thought. Now there´s only waiting left. Remember your place and all will be fine!  
  
And like that she sat for a long time, her head tipped forward and her short, almost black, hair hanging over her face. And she did not move until she went to sleep almost two hours later.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Bye-bye now!' Eiko shouted after them.  
  
Blank turned and waved. He only had one backpack and his sword strapped to his back. Beatrix beside him looked extremely grim and moody so he did not risk talking to her. She was wearing her formal general uniform with a backpack and her sword, Save the Queen, sheathed by her hip, her one eye looking so furious that Blank feared it would start shooting fire.  
  
Veranda was at the other side of Beatrix looking very sad. She was dressed in a dark blue shirt and tight jeans. She had brought a suitcase, but since they were going to travel on foot that would not work, so Baku borrowed her a backpack and she had to leave some things behind. That had not made her any more cheerful.  
  
Garnet had just stood there while they were getting ready and heading off. She had not said a single word. Zidane had been ordering guards around like he did not even see the three of them and Beatrix had been giving Steiner some orders. Steiner was to control the law enforcement in Alexandria during Beatrix´s absence and frankly he was a bit jittery. And Baku and the Tantalus gang had been giving Blank great advises the whole time. They were also to stay in Alexandria. Zidane had taken a brief pause from ordering guards around and explained the concept of this action to them. Blank was to leave to kingdom to find out wether the murderer was really after him. If he was she too would leave the kingdom. Beatrix and Veranda were just to go with him for his aid.  
  
Blank knew that this was a false reason, at least the part about Beatrix and Veranda, but did not say anything. He was glad to be going away.  
  
Why?  
  
He did not really know.  
  
This killer could not be after him, so he would just get away from all this ruckus for a while. A brief vacation was very much appreciated, but why did he have to bring Beatrix and Veranda along? He was not really comfortable around them. Beatrix was so bad tempered and, well, scary. Veranda was just a mistery to him, and he did not know her at all. Blank was not comfortable around people he did not know but had to spend a lot of time with.  
  
'Where should we go?' he had asked Beatrix.  
  
'Lindblum!' she had said firmly. He had not disagreed with her. He had not dared to.  
  
Why Lindblum? he asked himself now. It´s not only the kingdom farthest away from here but also my hometown. I don´t wanna bring a pack of crazy serial- killers there, if they´re really after me that is. Why does she want to go to Lindblum so badly, anyway.?  
  
He had taken a copy of the three letters with him and examined them. All of them said something about 'a sick mind' and most talked about a 'he' and 'a heir'.  
  
They´re really obsessed with this, he thought. But he had gotten tired of reading them over and over again not finding anything to help him catch these bastards so he put the copies in his rucksack.  
  
Now they just walked in silence.  
  
'Sir Blank?'  
  
'Yes, Veranda?'  
  
'Where are we headed?'  
  
'Lindblum.'  
  
She sighed.  
  
'What´s wrong?'  
  
'Oh, nothing, sir Blank.'  
  
'Stop this sir business!'  
  
'Alright, mr. Blank.'  
  
Blank sighed but said nothing.  
  
This is going to be a long trip! he thought as he headed down into the valley before him.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Out to a place I´ve never been with mountains high and valleys green come with me lady, let´s go away let the forests of nowhere lead us astray!'  
  
The voice came as quite a shock to the three of them. They had been walking in silence for about 3 hours now and had not seen the drunken man until they were almost beside him.  
  
The man was wearing a green jacket and brown pants. A gray hat hung loosely on his head, about to fall every second, and he had a green wine bottle in his hand. His face was one of an old man, not possibly younger than 50, and his hair and beard were white as snow, or what was left of his hair. His nose was red and his fingers blue with cold (even though it was not really cold outside).  
  
'Bring me a bottle of wine and some meat let´s sit by the river, sing, dance and eat with you by my side the world I shall roam and if I can help it, I will not go home!'  
  
The man was not a good singer, actually there was impossible to hear a tune in this babble of his, and his tounge seemed to disobey him. He hung on a tree, leaning against it and holding himself up in a branch with the hand that was not holding the bottle. Blank stopped at the sight of him, measuring if he opposed any threat. But after a very short inspection he could not see any way of that man hurting them, he could not even stand up straight, so Blank walked towards him.  
  
'Ho there!' the man called out to him as he saw him and started towards him on unsteady feet. Beatrix and Veranda stayed back a little. Blank walked up to him until he was about 5 feet away from him in the middle of the path they were following. The man was blocking his way.  
  
'It is not common that people wander to these parts I tell ya, no sirrie, never they do! Not even during the sommer! I should know, I´m always here, I am! I´ve been kicked out of town, I have! Too much of a drinker they told me I was! I don´t understand why they say that, I´ve never been much of a drinker! Hit my kids they said I did! I didn´t, I swear I didn´t! And my wife! I love my wife-y very very very very very much and would do nothing to hurt her, not even banging her head against a stonewall or anything, like they said I had done, they did! Yes, strange it is, very strange indeed! Come ye from the kingdom!? I´m from there too, ya see! Or I was, until I remarried! Now I´m just wandering around here, by myself, I am! No one to company me, no sirrie! Long it has been since I´ve seen a single person. I only talk to the trees and flowers and some bears that seem to like the scent of my drink here! It´s a good thing I took these bottles with me though. I wouldn´t have lasted a day out here if it weren´t for them, I would not have. But it´s not wine, if you do think that! I know you think so, I saw it in your face, your eyes, your ears, everywhere! You suspect me of drinking, you do!? Now I´ll just tell you that I haven´t been drinking for ages, I have! Ooooo, you don´t believe me!? You´re gonna go tell the townsfolk, are ya? Well, I tells ya you aren´t going anywhere, I do! So you betters just do as I say, you betters! I´ll win ya in a du.'  
  
'For heavens sake shut UP!' Veranda shouted.  
  
'Yeah, shut up man. Just let us pass! We don´t even know who the hell you are!!' Blank shouted.  
  
The man had been getting intense as he spoke and was not happy that he had been interrupted.  
  
'My name is Fellonder Finkleberg, even though that won´t do you any good knowing, it won´t! ´cause I´m gonna slit your throat, I am!' and he unsheathed a dagger from under his jacket and pointed it at Blank with a shaking hand.  
  
'Whoa, calm down man!' Blank yelled at the sight of the dagger. The blade was about 15 inches long and Blank could already feel it inside his stomach. 'We don´t want anything to do with you, we just want to pass!'  
  
'And tell the townsfolk about me drinking, are you?' Fellonder answered and waved the dagger in Blank´s direction.  
  
'Put that down, would ya?' Blank begged. 'We don´t even know what town you´re from! How can we alert some townfolk about some man that we don´t know if we can´t even find the townfolk!?'  
  
'You won´t fool me that easily!'  
  
'Who´s trying to fool you?'  
  
'Now fight me!'  
  
'No, I won´t!'  
  
'Too bad!!' Fellonder shouted and jumped at Blank, suddenly stable on his feet. But he was not quick enough to surprise Blank. Blank only dodged his blow and grabbed the man´s arm, the one holding the dagger. Then he hit the man in his face with his fist. Fellonder, who was too shocked to defend himself, only took the blow and collapsed on the earth, dropping the dagger on the ground. He was totally knocked out.  
  
'.wow..' was Veranda´s statement. Beatrix said nothing.  
  
'Let´s go.' Blank said and walked away.  
  
'What? We´re just going to leave him lying here?' Veranda asked, shocked.  
  
'Why, yes, what else?' Beatrix asked her, walking after Blank.  
  
'I-isn´t it dangerous to be lying around here unconscious? I mean, aren´t there any wild animals around or maybe even dangerous men? And what if he doesn´t even wake up?'  
  
'Then there´s nothing we can do for him! If he´s dead by such a small blow he´s dead as it is!'  
  
'Just leave him girl!' Blank shouted.  
  
'But.'  
  
Beatrix turned and looked at Veranda. Veranda shut her mouth and walked after the two of them inspecting the ground.  
  
Remember your place! Remember your place girl! she reminded herself.  
  
For the next few hours they walked in almost complete silence. The air was filled with anger, frustration and it felt awkward that they were not speaking. Finally Blank could not take it any longer, turned to Beatrix, who was still in a unhealthy mood, and asked;  
  
'Why do you wanna go to Lindblum so badly?'  
  
'Gotta investigate something.'  
  
'What´s that?'  
  
'Just something I´ve got to see too, someone I´ve got to meet.'  
  
'Who?'  
  
'Mind your own business!'  
  
'Hey, come on girl,' She looked at him angrily and he knew he shouldn´t have used the term 'girl'. 'we´re all friends here! We´ve got to talk to each other, we´re traveling together, ya know, and I wanna know why we´re going home to Lindblum.'  
  
'You´re hometown?'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
'And you don´t want to go there?'  
  
'No, not really!'  
  
'Why?'  
  
'Just because...'  
  
'Hey, you want me to talk so you better do it yourself!'  
  
*Silence*  
  
'I don´t wanna bring any kind of danger there, that´s all!'  
  
'Oh, a hero are we!?'  
  
'No, nothing like that! It´s just, I know a few girls back there and if they were to be killed I would not feel right about it.'  
  
Beatrix did not say anything, just stared at Blank who stared at a nearby tree.  
  
'You blame yourself, don´t you?'  
  
'For what?' he asked as casually as he could, which was not very convincing.  
  
'You do! For Ruby!'  
  
She could see him biting his lip.  
  
'No, I don´t!'  
  
'Well you should!'  
  
This exclamation came as a complete surprise to Blank.  
  
What did she say?  
  
'She was killed because of you, after all!'  
  
Blank could not believe what he was hearing.  
  
'That is what you want to hear, isn´t it?' Beatrix asked him looking at him inquiering. 'That is what you want to hear so you can justify to yourself that it´s OK for you to go out there and kill whoever killed her! Isn´t it? Well, then it´s true! It is all your fault! Now, would you stop feeling sorry for yourself!!'  
  
Beatrix walked ahead leaving Blank standing silent. But he soon snapped out of it and ran after her.  
  
'That still didn´t answer my question!'  
  
'What question?'  
  
'What are we going to do in Lindblum?'  
  
'We´ve gotta meet a person, that´s all you need to know!'  
  
'I´ve met ´im?'  
  
'Yes, you have met this person a few times, but that doesn´t really help you alot, does it?'  
  
'Come on! I answered your question, the least you could do is tell me who we´re meeting!'  
  
She turned to face him, looking at him with utter irritation.  
  
'All right! It´s Mikoto. Now will you shut the fuck up!?' And she turned and walked ahead.  
  
Mikoto? Blank asked himself. Why are we going to see Zidane´s little sister!?  
  
But he did not dare to ask Beatrix any more questions.  
  
'She´s got a bad temper, hasn´t she?' Veranda asked Blank as she slowly walked past him, without looking at him.  
  
'Yeah, she does.' her answered and followed her.  
  
That night they slept in their sleepingbags beside the road and the next day they continued their journey, the atmosphere not gotten any better.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* 


	6. To Lindblum

I´m sorry, I left some strange errors in this chapter when I first put it in here! I´ve finished fixing them, I think, but if you see any please let me know!  
  
Not that anyone´s reading this...  
  
I would like more reviews, but of course I´m happy and grateful that General-Beatrix666 has given her time to reading my stuff! Thank you! (  
  
Chapter #6  
  
//To Lindblum //  
  
They had journeyed for three days now and the city of Lindblum was finally in sight. It was magnifficent and Veranda, who had never seen it before, had to stop for a second while letting the huge image of it sink in.  
  
Blank was a little troubled by the fact that throughout the whole journey they had never had any encounters with enemies, not even wild beasts. He had been preparing himself for a day-to-day battle journey but that had not worked out.  
  
'I agree!' Beatrix said as he told her his concern. 'This is very odd! We should have had many encounters by now!'  
  
'Let´s just hurry up and get inside the city walls! Do we have a pass?' he asked.  
  
'Yes, the Queen gave us one. We can use the same as we used at South-Gate.'  
  
He nodded.  
  
'Come Veranda!' he shouted and they headed for the city. But then it happened, the thing Beatrix and Blank had been waiting for. They were attacked by a pack of men, well armed and strong. They were about 15 and each bore a broad sword and a shield. Their clothes were all brown or black and each one of them wore a dark cloak. There were no women in the group.  
  
The men formed a circle around the threesom and pointed their swords at them, their points aiming low, as so if they had to strike at the three of them the blow would not be fatal. The three of them closed up to each other, Beatrix and Blank reaching for their swords while Veranda drew a crossbow out of her backpack with a quick grab. Even at a time like this Blank had time to be surprised about the fact that he had not seen the bow before and Veranda had not told them she could use weapons. He himself had just expected that she could not.  
  
A tall man emerged out of the crowd and moved towards them. He was quite big, much taller then Blank, and was wearing a brown shirt and black trousers and over it he wore a dark cloak. The color was not really a color, more just a combination of black, blue and brown and looked like the color of a heap of trash, not one but many. He was blonde and his hair was short, or so it seemed from under his hood. He walked straight up to Beatrix and addressed her.  
  
'General Beatrix! It´s a pleasure!'  
  
His voice was deep and rang through them like the sound of the alert horns back at Alexandria castle. It boded ill.  
  
Beatrix only glared at him, like she had glared at Veranda and Blank for the past few days.  
  
'We have been searching for you for a few days now, general! I´ve been sent here especially after you!'  
  
'How flattering, sir.?' she inquired without changing her expression.  
  
'I am sorry, but I am not allowed to tell you! Specific orders, you know.'  
  
'How pleasant,' she said and gave him a big sarcastic smile. Blank, standing beside her, thought she was crazy acting like this to a man commanding 14 strong men, who were at that very moment pointing their swords at them. 'And what do you want with me?' Beatrix asked, dropping the smile.  
  
'We have come here for the sole purpose of claiming your life!' he said, bowing sarcastically.  
  
'And you cannot tell me your name, for I quite desire to know the name of the man who intends to take my life before I die.'  
  
'I am sorry, but I can not disobey my orders.'  
  
'Then could you tell me the name of your lord, who wishes me dead?'  
  
'No, I am sorry. But believe me, my lord is powerful and it is quite an honor to die by his command!'  
  
'I do not doubt that.' Beatrix answered. 'What about my companions?'  
  
'We are to kill them as well,' the man answered and pointed his sword at Veranda, who pointed her bow at him with a quick swing in return, looking very angry. 'Interesting.' the man exclaimed and looked thoughtfully at Veranda. 'Very interesting indeed!'  
  
He walked up to Veranda slowly and took her by the chin. He looked at her face from one angle and then another, swingin her head around as if she was a doll. She did not resist. Then he let go of her chin and grabbed her hair and pulled her head back.  
  
'But this one we will not kill! We might want to have some fun, while we´re at it. She won´t be any fun dead!'  
  
The other men laughed.  
  
'Yeah, we want them squealing and biting!' one of them shouted.  
  
And they lauhged some more. Veranda just bit her lip.  
  
'Let her go!' Blank said sternly as he placed the edge of his sword at the man´s throat! His sword was huge and it seemed to be quite heavy, but Blank´s arms could easily manage to hold it up in almost upright position.  
  
The man had not expected this and looked rather astonished that Blank had dared to threaten him in the postion he was. One of his men approached Blank, cursing in some foreign language, looking like he was about to kill him, but his leader gestured the man to stop and spoke:  
  
'This one we are not to kill!'  
  
'Let her go!' Blank repeated, as if he had not heard or seen the two men.  
  
The man released his grip on Veranda´s hair and put his hands in the air.  
  
'I was hoping I would not need to deal with you, sir, until later!'  
  
'So sorry to break your hopes.' Blank answered. 'Now just get lost, will ya? We don´t know you and I just might let you go!'  
  
'I´m so sorry, but even if I´m ordered not to kill you I am to take you with us alive, even thought barely. Do not think that I will hesitate to knock you unconsious!' While he spoke he backed away from Veranda and took his place in the rows of his men, like he was finding himself a secure spot. 'Plus, you´re outnumbered. Don´t expect me to believe that you´re going to defeat us all!' and he laughed a sarcastic laugh, and his men joined in with him. Blank just plainly glared at him. Then the leader added;  
  
'Take her out, Sinder!' he ordered one of his men and pointed at Beatrix. A very large and broad man approached the threesome, a smirk on his face and an evil looking sword (really the same kind of sword all the other men had, but still evil looking...), and pointing it at Beatrix´s heart he plunged forwards. He was not far from her when it happened and no one knew why it did. But it still did.  
  
With the sword in his hands he jumped in her direction, shouting some kind of a warcry and bumping Blank out of the way. Veranda jumped back and raised her bow to shoot the man but she did not get the oppertunity before he exploded into a heap of flesh. The man seemed to burst from within, starting with his head, then his torso, and finally his limbs. It happened in about a fracture of a second so he did not even get the chance to yell out. It looked like he was somehow torn apart and his remains rained over the ground in front of Beatrix. His sword continued towards her chest but she easily caught it, now when there was no hand pushing it foward.  
  
Everyone around them looked at it happen, amazed and frightened. They watched in awe as flesh and clothing ripped apart due to some force no one could see. The leader stood still, his eyes wide open and his face pale as snow. He gasped as the final piece of meat hit the ground.  
  
'Who did it!?' he asked them after a few seconds, when he had, with difficulty, pulled his face together. 'Who did this?' and he pointed at the three of them one after another. 'It won´t do you any good denying it!' he announced angrily, but there was also a frightening sound in his voice, as he suspected that he would be the next to burst.  
  
'And it won´t do us any good admitting either!' Beatrix shouted. Blank and Veranda were still gazing at the heap before their feet. 'But we´ll do it again if you don´t back off! And don´t think we can´t do you all in this way!' She gazed over the group of men with arrogance. Blank still gaped at the body, but Veranda seemed to have snapped out of it.  
  
'Yeah! You think this is much!? Then you don´t want to see what else we are capable of!' she shouted and pointed at the dead man, or his remains, to emphasize. 'Get lost!' she shouted.  
  
Their leader slowly backed away from them, looking very frightened and trying to conceal it, without any success, all his pride disappeared.  
  
'Let´s go!' he shouted and waved his hand. His men seemed relieved that their commander had decided not to risk that they would all be torn apart one by one, by this evil looking threesome. They hastily ran to one side where their leader was, line up and then ran away, after their leader, in two perfect rows, with seven on each side. Their cloaks were dark, and since it was late in the afternoon it had begun to grow dark and theyr image blended with the surroundings.  
  
The three of them watched them march away for a little while, completely surprised but relieved as well, big smirks on their faces. That is on Beatrix´s and Veranda´s faces. Blank was still staring at the pieces or stippes of what had previously been a man. The man's sword lay at Blank´s feet. When the men were out of sight Beatrix turned to him and spoke;  
  
'You can stop staring at him now!'  
  
'It´s not really a 'he' anymore,' Veranda stated. 'More of an 'it'!'  
  
'Whatever!' Beatrix said. 'You know you almost gave us away, Blank! If I´d been in his,' she pointed after the troops marching away, 'position I would have thought it was kind of weird if one of us was staring at the victim like he had never seen anything like it! Not if we´re supposed to be used to this 'power'!'  
  
Blank swung around and looked her straight in the eye. 'So you did this?!'  
  
'Me? Noooo, I can´t say I did! But it would have been convenient.'  
  
'Convenient? No, that´s not the word I would use to describe this. Effective´s more like it!' Veranda commented.  
  
'So neither of you did it?' Blank asked.  
  
'Hell no! What do you think I am!? I can´t use any kinds of magic, or whatever this was!' Veranda half-shouted.  
  
'Me neither, except for my swordswork that is.' Beatrix answered calmly. 'Did you do it!?'  
  
'No, I can´t use magic either..' Blank answered. 'And I highly doubt that one of them did it! It must have been someone else!'  
  
They all looked around nervously. They could not see much because of how dark it had gotten, and there seemed to be nobody around for miles. At least they could not hear anything. The only sounds they could hear were those coming from within the city. Sounds of people skidding home, the railway cars running forth and back, and some sound from the wild, but that was mostly birdsinging.  
  
Blank looked at Beatrix nervously.  
  
'Let´s just get inside the walls!' he said, hastily. She nodded and they walked towards the gate, Veranda tagging along after them.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
They were sitting in the innroom. Beatrix had insisted that they stayed at an inn and not in the Tantalus hide-out. She thought it was a dump, and the Queen had given them a lot of cash to spend in food and other necessaries.  
  
Blank was sitting on his bed and Beatrix standing by the door with one hand on her swordshilt. Veranda was kneeling and checking out the mini-bar. She had gotten quite comfortable around the other two over the past days, even though they were not speaking too much. They did not seem to hate her, and that was good enough reason for her to let herself relax a bit.  
  
'Ooooo, see!? Whisky!! Now we´re talking!' she exclaimed dragging a green, wound bottle out of the bar. 'Now, who´s up for a good, long night of drinking!?' she said cheerfully, trying to bring the mood of the other two up a notch.  
  
Blank shook his head. 'Not now Veranda!'  
  
'Yeah, we have to talk!' Beatrix said.  
  
'About what!?' she looked at them questioningly. 'That incident back there!?'  
  
'Yes, that 'incident'!' Beatrix answered, throwing her hands into the air and sighing. 'Learn to take things seriously, girl!'  
  
'How about you learn to have some fun for once! You´re stressed out, and it´s hard to have a conversation with you these days!' Veranda shouted in return, her hair falling over her face and the bottle almost swinging hard into the nightstand. 'Could we just forget that happened for one night, and just go out and have fun!! How long has it been since you´ve got seriously loaded!? Have you even ever gotten drunk!?'  
  
'I happen to be the non-drinking type!'  
  
'Why, then just have fun sober! Is it really so hard?'  
  
'Shut up, and let us think! Get drunk if you want, just don´t drag me into it!'  
  
'Blank?'  
  
'Not now, Veranda! My headache´s back!'  
  
'Ooooo, so we should all be shaking with fear now, ´cause you´re a psychic, right!?'  
  
'Veranda!!' Beatrix said warningly.  
  
'OK, OK! I´ll just be downstairs at the bar! But don´t think I don´t want to know the plan! I just wanna get crazy for one night!'  
  
'Yeah, yeah, whatever...'  
  
Veranda opened the door and started out through it, then hesitated, came back and looked at Blank;  
  
'When did it start?'  
  
Blank looked up at her with a surprised look.  
  
'The headache!' she explained.  
  
'Oh,' he said. 'Just a few hours ago! Just before we reached the gate.'  
  
Veranda nodded and went out into the hallway, closing the door firmly behind her.  
  
Silence.  
  
Blank sat on the bed holding his head.  
  
It´s not gonna burst, is it!? Beatrix thought to herself, remembering the insident outside the city, and shuddered. She sat down on her bed, keeping a close eye at Blank, who did not move, and drew her breath as silently as she could.  
  
What is he doing? Is he just going to sit there all night? We need to speak about this!  
  
'Um, Blank?' she started.  
  
No response.  
  
'Um, we´ve gotta talk, right?'  
  
Why was she being so... shy?  
  
'Come on!'  
  
He looked up, even though it did not mean anything to Beatrix, except now she knew he heard her. It was not as if she could make an eyecontact. That cursed belt.  
  
'What´s to talk about?' he asked with his, not deep but not either high, voice, placing one hand under his chin and leaning forward onto it.  
  
'What? We´ve got to make some kind of a plan! We´ve got to find Mikoto, we´ve got to find out who sent those men, we´ve got to talk things through!'  
  
'Please, Beatrix. Just not now!' He burried his face in his hands and let himself fall back onto his bed.  
  
'Right!' Beatrix said, standing up and walking hastely towards the door. 'I´ll be out there trying to catch hold of Mikoto! I don´t need you to come with me, so I´ll just come back here afterwards!'  
  
He just lay there and did not respond. Beatrix slammed the door shut and walked furiously out the hall.  
  
Inside the room Blank sat up and waited. Then, when he was sure Beatrix was out of sight, he headed for the door, reaching for the buckle.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Veranda closed the door behind her and started out the hallway. She had never been much of a drinker, and was not going to start now, so she threw the green bottle in her hand into the nearest trashcan.  
  
Now, where did he say the hide-out was.?  
  
She had been watching him as it happened, and it had been frightening.  
  
Theater district, ya?  
  
She asked directions at the rail-way station and shortly found the big house Tantalus owned.  
  
What am I doing here?  
  
The lock on the front door was broken. Odd! she thought, but then she figured that in this part of town it was not rare that houses left unguided for a long period of time were broken into. And Tantalus had been out of town for over a month. Veranda had heard Baku say once that even the Zereno brother had gone for a vacation to Treno at the same time as the wedding had been held.  
  
The wedding. She had been there. Only serving, but there. It had been beautiful, until the woman got killed and Veranda remembered it well. She had seen when Blank jumped out the window after the killer. She had even yelled his name in horror, but she guessed he had not heard her.  
  
At least he had not showed it.  
  
She reached for the door and pushed it open. It creeked loudly. Inside it was dark and the air was foul. She moved stealthily by instinct, as her eyes got used to the darkness. The streets had been lit and there was absolutely no way that any light might get into this house, because the windows were all barred. She looked around, not dearing to draw breath, and moved onwards.  
  
So this is where they live! She thought to herself. The Big Tantalus! But that was as far as she would get because all of a sudden a hand came out of nowhere and locked itself over her mouth. She tried to scream in terror, but the hand was barring it´s way. Then another hand came and grabbed her waist, forcing her to fall down on the floor. Then she fell unconcious.  
  
The next thing she knew, Veranda was bound, lying on the floor and looking up at three men, one of which she had already seen once.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Beatrix stomped out.  
  
He is SO STUPID! My Queen, can´t he ever stop this endless selfpity!? (A/N: Well duh, it´s endless....)  
  
She did not know where she was going, but she had a faint idea. Cid was the man to look to if you wanted to know something, ANYTHING about Lindblum, because not did he just know most things about Lindblum but he could fix you up with someone who knew what you needed if he himself did not.  
  
Beatrix entered the palace, chin held high, cocky and arrogant. She was used to being superior and wanted people to recognize her as someone that was higher positioned than them. She ordered one guard at the entrance to fetch a clearance for her from the regent. He was not sure if he was to obay her, but then he saw the look on her face and the furiousness in her eye and ran off to Cid´s chambers. She was allowed to enter and was escorted to Cid´s office.  
  
'General Beatrix!' he exclaimed as she entered the room, swinging his arms in her direction. 'It´s a pleasure!'  
  
This is the second time I hear this today... she thought to herself.  
  
Beatrix, who remembered that she was still not as noble as Cid, bowed before him, and gave him a short and formal greating. The regent nodded and gestured her to sit with him in a sofa nearby.  
  
They chatted for a while this formal chat. This 'How have you been?' 'Oh, fine, thank you!' 'How are everyone?' 'Just fine, thank you.' shit that courtesy requires.  
  
'So, what brings you to Lindblum?' Cid asked after a short chat.  
  
'I need your help, regent!' Beatrix told him bluntly.  
  
'Now, really?' Cid asked her with a quizzical look on his aged face. 'What with?'  
  
'I need to locate a person currently living here! How do I do it?'  
  
'Now, there´s a difficult question. I have always felt that I needed to keep personal privacy in my regency and I haven´t filed all the residents. Plus, it´s always changing! So many are just wandering the streets, not having a home.'  
  
'But is there any way for me to find a certain person, if you need to?' Beatrix asked sternly.  
  
'What do you want with my people?' Cid asked dubiously.  
  
'It´s just I´ve got to speak to this person!' she answered. 'I don´t mean her any harm!' she added when he still looked at her quizzically.  
  
'So it is a 'she'!?' he said smiling. 'Well, I guess there is a way.' He said looking thoughtfully out into the air. 'There is a man in the industry district that knows most people in the city. He has been around for a long time and is a kind of dealer, mostly involved in unleagal things. But I would think he is the most likely the only one in the city capable of helping you!'  
  
Beatrix nodded. 'So, where can I find him?'  
  
'There is the problem!' the regent answered. 'He hides somewhere in the industry district, not wanting to be found, of course. He´s wanted, and has always made sure that nobody knows what he looks like. The thing he does he does without meeting anyone in person! He uses his personal assistant for those matters, and as often as we´ve tried to track him down or follow him to their hide-out he always manages to slip away. The only advise I can give you is to try to contact them and set up a meeting with his assistant. If you pay them, I´ve no doubt he will assist you!'  
  
'Thank you! What name does he go by?'  
  
'He calles himself 'Huginn'. His assistant is called 'Muninn'. (A/N: Huginn & Muninn are Odin´s ravens in the old skandinavian religion. You know, Thor, Tyr, Freyja and all that gang!) I think the best place for you to try to contact him is in the weaponshop in the industry district!'  
  
'Thank you so very much, my grace!' Beatrix said, standing up and bowing with her hands in front of her.  
  
'Glad to be able to help you, general Beatrix of Alexandria!' he said and nodded.  
  
Beatrix bowed again and headed for the door. She walked hastily out of the palace, without the arrogance she had previously. She did not have the time to concentrate on such meager things as superiority right now.  
  
'Huginn?' she said aloud to herself. 'Muninn?'  
  
She headed for the nearest rail-way station, not looking where she was going, and there she walked upon another chopped up woman.  
  
She paused for a while, not wanting to see what she saw. Hoping it would just go away, not be there, she blinked her eyes hard and long, but when she opened them again there she was. A woman with her head almost rolling down the street. Just like the other three.  
  
Oh, no, not now! Not here! Beatrix thought to herself, kneeling beside the brunette and inspecting her body. Within a few minutes a guard saw her and ran towards her, but then Beatrix had already found the letter in the woman´s sock.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~* 


	7. Meetings

Chapter #7  
  
//Meetings //  
  
Blank locked the door and turned to face the window. He walked across the room to it and looked out. He saw Beatrix stomping away, angrily.  
  
Great! he thought. Now she´s not around to forbid me not to go!  
  
He had already begun to unfasten the buckle on the belt and now he took it off. He walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. The cyborg eye seemed smaller, in some strange way.  
  
That´s odd... he though. Machines don´t shrink!  
  
But it looked like it had. The eyelid covered it more closely now than it had done when he examined it in Alexandria. Blank felt the cold touch of fear and doubt crawl up his spine.  
  
He had been lying to Beatrix and Veranda. He did not have a headache. He had just known that it was about the only thing that would get them to leave him alone. His head had been bursting earlier that day, but the ache had disappeared...  
  
And now it was coming again. All so suddenly. Blank looked into his eye, his good eye, and he could see his pupil shrink until it was as a small dot, like the point on a pencil. Blank grabbed his stomach, feeling like he was going to throw up, but his feet did not manage to move him to the toilet. Then suddenly he could not hold it any longer and spilled his half- digested dinner into the sink in front of him. But it did not stop there. He felt as if he was about to hurl up his liver and lungs. His stomach was caught in a cramp that lasted for about 10, long minutes. When it finally stopped, Blank whiped his mouth, coughed one last time into the sink, and then looked back into the mirror. The headache was gone and his good eye was back to normal. He looked fine, although he was a bit pale and his eyes were flowing in tears (which, he thought, could not be good for his machenic eye).  
  
He looked back down into the sink and saw the mess. There was even a little bit of blood in that pile of some gross stuff Blank did not remember eating. He tried to wash it down the sink, but when that did not work, because of all the big chunks, he dug it up with his hand and flushed it down the toilet.  
  
Uck, he thought, as he washed his hands.  
  
The headache was completely gone.  
  
Strange, he thought.  
  
Again.  
  
He took up the belt he had put on the shelf next to the sink and put it back on. He still felt naked without it. He strapped his sword on his back and stuffed his small knife in his boot.  
  
He headed for the door and closed it quietly behind him. He threaded the stairs carefully, not wanting to make a sound. This was his mission, and he was going to do it stealthfully.  
  
Quickly but quietly he made his way to the hide-out. He did not know why, but he felt this strange urge to go there. He was most certain that he would find something there that would help him on this case.  
  
He was going to find his origin.  
  
Sure it´s lame, he thought to himself, sounding like some fairy-tale an´ all, but this is just something I´ve got to do! he reasoned with himself. Something all men have to do!  
  
Finally he stood outside the familiar house he and his fellow Tantalus brothers had grown up in. It was not much to look at but it meant something to him.  
  
Home.  
  
This was the only place he could feel right in. Like he was not out of place.  
  
He smiled a bit and grabbed the handle and pushed it down, opening the door. He noticed that the lock was broken.  
  
Weird! he thought. We´ve never been robbed before...  
  
The door gave away a loud creek as he pushed it open. It was dark inside, but to his surprise Blank thought he could see the faint glow of a candle somewhere inside. He walked as silently as he could, hoping that if the burgler was still inside he would not have heard the creek from the door. He stopped for a moment to listen. At least he could not hear a thing.  
  
He walked towards the bedroom he and Zidane had shared when Zidane had still been with Tantalus. Now he slept there alone and had for nearly 4 years. He peeked inside the room.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Beatrix was standing over the dead woman.  
  
She gave a short report to the guard, showed that her sword had not been used the last hours, and he let her go. But he still gave her a suspicious look.  
  
Beatrix walked hastely to the inn.  
  
I have to show this to Blank! she thought, gripping the letter she had found.  
  
The streets were mostly empty and no sound could be heard. The inn was not far off but Beatrix wanted to get there soon.  
  
She walked inside the inn, introdused herself to the innkeeper, reminding the old man that she had already come here earlier that day and payed for their room. The man did not seem to remember, but Beatrix was very convincing.  
  
Beatrix glanced into the next hall from the counter and ran her eye over the bar. She tried to pin-point where Veranda was, but could not find her.  
  
She must´ve gone back upstairs! she thought.  
  
She half-ran up the stairs and found their room, nr. 13 (A/N: This is for my friend... he´ll get the idea!). She tried the doorknob and opened the door.  
  
'Hey?' she half-yelled. No reply.  
  
'Blank? Veranda? You here?' she shouted in the bathroom´s direction when she saw that the bedroom was empty.  
  
'What the..?' she asked herself and walked to the closed bathroom door. She opened it and clasped her hand over her face.  
  
Ick! That stench! What´s rotting in here?  
  
It was the smell of Blank´s barf, which had not diappeared in the closed room. But of course Beatrix did not know that.  
  
But what surprised her more was that neither Veranda nor Blank was not there.  
  
'Damn it!' she cursed aloud and banged her hand that was not tightly concealing her face into the door.  
  
'Now where did they wander off to?'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Blank stood in the doorway, shocked, gaping.  
  
Before him Veranda lay in a bed, her hands bound and a blank expression on her face. Her jeans were all torn like after a struggle, and her shirt was in no better shape. But she was not alone. There were two men towering over her, one of them who was just standing up from kneeling beside Veranda as Blank appeared in the doorway. The one standing was fiddeling with something inside the cloak he was wearing, but since they were turning their back at them Blank could not see what it was.  
  
Then he saw the gash in Veranda´s face and let out a small shriek (A/N: yeah, you know, like a really girly shriek! ^_^). The men both turned around, looking at Blank with astonishment. One of them had dark hair, quite short and lifeless, and very characteristic facial lines. He looked at Blank with nothing more than the irritation of being interrupted in the middle of something he thought highly entertaining. Not that he really changed expressions, this could just be seen on his bodylanguage.  
  
The other one Blank was familiar with. It was the leader of the bandit group he, Veranda and Beatrix had encountered earlier that day (A/N: Ok, so I made that a bit obvious...). He even looked exactly like he had then, except that now he did not have his hood up so Blank could see his face very clearly. He had blond and short hair, dark brown eyes and a nose so bent that it must have been broken at least 5 times. He was still wearing that cloak made out of that none-color fabric.  
  
In a split of a second Blank came to his senses and grabbed out his sword, half-pointing it at the blond man.  
  
'You here?' the man noted. 'How quaint. Now we can just get you out of the way, and general Beatrix will be no problem. Not alone!' He smiled at the black haired man beside him. 'This is the one we´re supposed to take with us.' And he nodded in Blank´s direction.  
  
'Really...?' the darkhaired man stated. 'I thought he would be... bigger!' he said with bluntness and tilted his head to side as if he was measuring Blank. Blank only growled at him.  
  
'He´s an animal!' the blond man explained to the other one, who had given him a puzzled look. 'Or that is what I´ve been told!'  
  
'Does he oppose any threat?' the dark-haired man asked.  
  
'Oh, no, not at all...' the blond answered, even though looking dubious. 'He´s not able to do anything that doesn´t involve a sword!'  
  
Anything that DOESN´T involve a sword? Blank thought. The heck does he mean? Not that!?  
  
'What do you think you´re doing!?' Blank asked them, trying to sound threatening.  
  
And failing at it.  
  
'Oh, and it speaks!?' the dark-haired said to the blonde. 'How adorable!' And he grinned.  
  
'What did you do to Veranda!?' Blank half-shouted, without loosing his calm though.  
  
'Oh, Veranda, eh..?' the blond said leaning back, taking a look at Veranda. 'Well, we didn´t do anything that she didn´t enjoy, if that answeres your question!'  
  
'Step away from her, you freaks!' Blank shouted, totally in the dark of what he meant.  
  
'Oh, playing her hero, are we? Well, let´s just settle this then, shall we?' the dark-haired man said, whipping out his own sword. It was long and very thin, it´s shiny blade carved with symbols or markings of some sort. It gleamed and the metal rang clearly when he unsheathed it. The blond also drew his sword, a sword exactly like the one who had approached Beatrix earlier had bore. It was broad and kind of rusted, like it had not been cleaned once since it was made but had killed hundreds.  
  
And then they approached Blank.  
  
And when they attacked they attacked him like he was a child. They obvioulsy thought that he would not be able to defend himself against the two of them. And that's where they were wrong. Blank put up a good fight, barring their attacks with skill and fury that they had not expected. They found that they had underestimated him.  
  
And the fact that they were not to kill him put things in Blank´s favour.  
  
After a short fight, only a couple of swings from Blank´s parts, Blank managed to hit the dark-haired man in his side, not deep but badly, and he collapsed on the floor. It was obviously not lethal, but painful none the less. Blank paused for a moment, watching as the blond gapsed, looking down at his friend. Blank took the chance and ran to Veranda without thinking, checking the gash on her face. It was not serious, and she did not seem to be hurt anywhere else. Although there was a big pool of blood in the bed.  
  
His bed.  
  
Blank felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. The blond was looking at him, his big, dirty sword was inside Blank´s shoulder. Blank yelled, but managed to pull back, the sword drawn out of him painfully. His left hand felt numb and he could not control it. He took his two-handed sword and tried to swing it at the blond but failed. It was too heavy.  
  
But too his surprise the blond did not attempt to hurt him further or capture him, but knelt down, yanked his dark-haired comrade up on his shoulder, looked back for an instant and then ran out, his wounded friend dangling over his shoulder.  
  
They ran away?  
  
Blank shook this thought out of his head and turned his attention back on Veranda, after checking if the men had really left the house. They had.  
  
'Hey!' he said to her.  
  
She just stared at the wall in front of her and answered:  
  
'Hey..'  
  
'You OK?' he asked carefully, but full of concern.  
  
'Uh-huh..' she nodded.  
  
He knew it to be a lie but did not mention it.  
  
'You hurt?'  
  
'No. Not beside this gash on my cheek.' She pointed at the gash that started between her eyes and continued to her right cheek, ending somewhere under her right eye. It was not long, but it hit the bone.  
  
Blank inspected it carefully.  
  
'I think this will leave a scar!'  
  
'oh?' she said, sounding like she actually did not care.  
  
'Come on, let´s get you to the bathroom. I think there´s a first-aid kit there somewhere. A potion.'  
  
'Potion?'  
  
'You´ve never had one?'  
  
'no...'  
  
'Well, there´s always a first time to everything!'  
  
He led her into the bathroom, cleaning her wound with a wet rag and giving her a potion, because:  
  
'You look like shit!' he said, trying to lighten her up.  
  
'oh, thanx!' she answered.  
  
'So, what happened here?' he asked her after a moment of silence.  
  
'They beat me up!'  
  
'What about all that blood?'  
  
'From my forhead!'  
  
Blank knew it was a lie. The gash did not bleed that much. It seemed to Blank that it had not even hit any vein. But she said it so firmly that he let it drop. If she said so, it was most propably true.  
  
Blank cleaned the wound on his shoulder and drank a potion himself. He felt the pain drift away, and wrapped his own shoulder up.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The weapon shop in the industry district of Lindblum.  
  
Beatrix was standing in the middle of the small room, looking at the weapon- covered walls. Now where was she supposed to go? To her left there was a racket filled with axes and to her right swords hung in rows. And all around her, placed neatly on the floor, were shields, in all sizes and of all types. And helmets were fastened high on the walls, side by side, as close to the ceiling as they could get.  
  
Beatrix stood there still for about a moment or two, then she shook her head and walked to the counter.  
  
'Excuse me...' she started but the shopkeeper did not seem to notice her. 'Excuse me but could you tell me...' The shopkeeper glanced passed Beatrix, got up of his chair and walked to the back of the store, ignoring Beatrix. She raised an eyebrow and gaped.  
  
How´s that for a service! she thought to herself.  
  
'Hello?' she half-shouted and leaned over the counter. 'Can anyone hear me!?'  
  
'I can.'  
  
Beatrix spun around herself instantly as she felt a light tap on her left shoulder. Before her stood a small and thin man, with an eagle´s nose and skinny face, beady eyes that were crystal-blue and seemed to never stay on the same spot for more than two seconds. Beatrix only stared at him with her one eye and did not speak, so he raised his eyebrows and spoke:  
  
'Can I help... you?' he asked with his high voice, that waved around from tone to tone like he was singing a tune.  
  
'Yeees...' Beatrix answered reluctantly. 'What is your name?'  
  
'I am Muninn, at your service!' he said and bowed. Beatrix noted that he was not mocking her, but she felt that he was not being entirely sincere either. 'Now, is there anything I can do for your honorable self?' he said.  
  
Oh great! Beatrix thought. She did not like this kind of formal speech without a reason, just like Veranda.  
  
'Yes, you may yet be of some help to me!' she said, pressing on the 'you'.  
  
'Might I suggest that we talk about it somewhere private, my beautiful lady?'  
  
Oh, God, he´s also kissing my ass! she thought but managed to put on a smile.  
  
'Sure.' She answered.  
  
And he led her out.  
  
The letter was still unread in Beatrix´s pocket. When she could not find either Blank or Veranda she had just gone out to attend to her own business, like the others seemed to have done. It still bothered her that they were gone, and that they had left no message. But, she had other things to think of now.  
  
Muninn led her to an alley behind the weapon shop. Beatrix did not know why he had addressed her, or how he knew that she was looking for him, but it did not matter that much to her. She had found him, after all.  
  
Muninn was a strange man, puny and deffinetely not the strong type. But he seemed sneaky and would be able to backstab his own grandmother, if he was payed enough gil. But, since Beatrix was not really trying to befriend him, it did not matter. This was her way to find Mikoto, and she needed to find Mikoto. Or at least that was her reasoning for her doing this.  
  
'In here, milady.' Muninn said as he gestured her through a door, looking more like a hole in the wall. Beatrix crumbled through it without much difficulty and Muninn jumped in after her. They were in a small room with only a sofa and a chair. This room was obviously only used as a meeting room for matters of unlegal purpose.  
  
'Can I offer Thou some beverage?' he asked her.  
  
'No, thank you! And please stop thouing me!' she answered, a little to rudely, maybe.  
  
'As you say!' Muninn said and bowed. 'Now, what is it you need us to help you with?' he asked her bluntly after seating himself in the chair opposite the couch where Beatrix was sitting.  
  
'I need you to locate a person for me!'  
  
'Living in Lindblum?'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'How much are you offering?'  
  
'How much do you want?'  
  
Muninn looked at her thoughtfully for a few seconds.  
  
'10,000 gil.'  
  
'10,000 GIL!??!??!?' Beatrix yelled. 'For WHAT!?'  
  
'That is our price! Do you think you can manage?'  
  
'You cannot be serious!'  
  
'Oh, but indeed we are!'  
  
Beatrix was silent for a moment while she thought this through.  
  
'Which one of you decides the price?' she asked him. He only looked at her puzzled. 'You or Huginn, your boss?' she explained.  
  
'Oh, but that is entirely my master´s decicion!' he answered. 'Finding a person resident in Lindblum costs 10,000 gil for everybody, not just you! If it was my choice I´d cut off the price,' he blinked her. 'but since that is not in my command...' he added with a hint of regret.  
  
'Then you better show me to your boss!' Beatrix stated, standing up.  
  
'W-what?' Muninn asked shocked, glaring up at Beatrix.  
  
'Well, since you are in no position to bargain with me I´ll just have to meet with the one who is.'  
  
Muninn stared at her for several moments, and Beatrix begun to suspect that he was not ever going to speak again. Then he drew in a big breath, let out a sigh and shook his head.  
  
'But I´m afraid I can´t do that!' he stated. 'I´m specifically ordered NOT to bring ANYONE under ANY circumstances to my lord!' He nodded his head to emphasize. Beatrix looked at him, thinking about how simple he was.  
  
'But this isn´t just ANY circumstance!' Beatrix told him. 'This is life or death here!'  
  
'What do you mean?'  
  
'I mean that if you don´t lead me to your boss I will get seriously pissed and jab this little friend of mine,' she grasped the hilt of her sword, 'into your head!' She smiled innocently and tilted her head to the right, blinking her left eye furiously.  
  
Muninn gaped at her with utter astonishment.  
  
'Right... now...?' he managed to say. Beatrix saw that he was not used to people stanging up against him. He seemingly was in the position of a man who nobody messed with.  
  
'Yes, right now!' she said, speaking slowly as if talking to a child.  
  
Muninn frowned, scrached his head and looked around the room like he was measuring what way out would probably be the best to run off through. But since there was only one door and no windows he dropped that thought.  
  
'Yes, ma´am. Right this way ma´am!' and he led her through the door and out on the street again, his head hanging low.  
  
mmm... Beatrix thought. The way she felt after pushing Muninn around back there had been really good. She felt powerfull, like every time she had the whole first class legion of Alexandria in front of her, doing whatever she told them to. A big smirk was covering her face as she followed Muninn to a house near the rail-way station in the industry district. The house they stopped in front of was quite big, obviously infested by a rich family.  
  
'You wait here a moment!' Muninn mumbled, looking sheepishly at the street. Then he ran to the house, all bent, and disappeared inside. Beatrix stood around for a few moments, heard a bit of yelling from the house, assuming that it was only Huginn scowling Muninn for his disobedience. She did not care.  
  
Then Muninn stumbled out, gesturing her to come on inside.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'I´m fine!' Veranda stated as Blank tried to approach her.  
  
'No, come on! Let´s get you out of those bloody clothes.'  
  
'I said I´m fine!' She grabbed her hand over her arms, folding her chest, and staring at him furiously.  
  
'OK, OK, only trying to help!' he replied, backing away. They were still in the hide-out because Blank had seen that his room was a mess. It looked like these two men had actually been looking for something, and he was going to check out if anything was missing.  
  
But not until he had cleaned up.  
  
'I´m going to wash that bloody sheet of my bed, and it would be convenient to wash you clothes while I´m at it, you know!' Blank told her, gripping his left shoulder because of a sting he had in his stabwound.  
  
'Then I would not have anything to wear!'  
  
'Of course we can get you something to wear! You think I haven´t thought about that!?' he asked her with a sharp tone. 'There´s some clothes of Ruby in that room over there,' he pointed at the room opposite his own. 'that you can wear! She won´t be needing them!' He tried to make it sound casual, making a joke out of it.  
  
But not succeeding.  
  
'Right...' Veranda answered and walked towards that room. Blank took the sheet off the mattress in his bed. It was soaked with blood. Veranda´s blood. She must have been cut deeply, although Blank did not see any wounds on her.  
  
'My god...' he muttered to himself, lifting up the sheet, letting the blood drip on the floor, blending with the blood of the dark-haired man.  
  
Then Veranda came out of Ruby´s room. She was handing her clothes towards Blank. 'Here!' she said, holding only her shirt and her jeans, both soaked, and ripped. She was wearing a blue skirt which Ruby had often worn during the summer and a green shirt with white symbols on, which Blank did not recall Ruby ever wearing. The thought of Ruby only brought pain into Blank´s mind so he brushed these memories away.  
  
He took her clothes and asked:  
  
'That´s all?'  
  
'Yeah?'  
  
'What about your underwear?' he asked, shamelessly.  
  
Veranda turned red on a mere second. 'I´m not gonna let you wash my underwear!'  
  
'What, 'let' me? I´m not yearning to wash it, I just thought that maybe it had to be washed, judging by you jeans at least...'  
  
'No thank you!'  
  
'OK, OK... But I don´t think these will do you any good,' he lifted up the shirt and the jeans, 'even though we clean them! They´re all torn!'  
  
'Then throw them out! I can keep these, can´t I?' she asked, holding out her arms, talking about Ruby´s clothes.  
  
'Yeah!' Blank nodded.  
  
Awkward silence.  
  
'Aren´t you going to go wash...?' Veranda asked Blank, who was still standing in front of her with a dripping sheet and her clothes in his hands.  
  
'Right, yeah!' he answered. 'Could you get rid of these?' he asked her, handing her her clothes back.  
  
'Sure!'  
  
It was not until about an hour later that the two of them returned to the inn. Blank had scoured his room, not able to find anyting missing, and when they had finished cleaning up they tried to fix the lock. Blank noticed that Veranda never even once sat down during that hour, but did not think any of it.  
  
When they finally got back to the inn they found Beatrix sitting in their room. She was cleaning her huge sword, her face unreadable.  
  
'Here,' she said, holding her hand out to Blank. She was holding the letter.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Well, well, well... why am I still writing you ask? Well, if you´re still reading you certainly must find something interesting in this crap of mine, so why are you asking me!?  
  
Anywho... if you ARE really reading this, it would not kill you to review, would it!? even though it were only for the sake of telling me to stop writing! ;) 


	8. The beginning

This chapter is supposed to happen a bit before the other ones.. Maybe you´ll get the idea, maybe not! Just ask, I will answer... This is the first idea I got for this story, so, this is what I´ve been writing about this whole time! :)  
  
Plz review...! I haven´t recieved any lately.. oh, stop nagging, you bitch.. :p  
  
Chapter #8  
  
//The beginning //  
  
The sky was pouring down rain as if all the gods were crying these silver drops onto the earth.  
  
A young woman, not older than 16, tumbled down on the streets of this long forgotten and abandoned city, clutching some baggage to her chest, protecting it as if it was an infant. Her hair was red and wet and was continuesly blown across her face by the fierce wind raging these streets. Her eyes were colored with this strange deep, green color, rarely seen by those walking the surface of the earth, beautiful but sad, desperate but calm, all in one. Her clothes were raggy and torn and clutched to her body, soaking wet.  
  
The woman came into a small square, a water fountain in the middle, no water spewing out of it, and few broken benches circling it. She looked about her as if she was afraid that somebody was watching her. Or maybe she was expecting to see someone. Either way, she ran to the center of the square, to the fountain, tumbling once, nearly loosing the hold of the baggage in her arms. And when she finally got to the fountain she layed the baggage gently down on the street, brushed her hand once over it passionately and then ran back, the same way she had come, leaving the small object wrapped in dirty clothing behind. Her face was covered with drops of rain and tears.  
  
It continued to rain and when only few minutes had passed since the departure of the woman the small baby begun to cry, it soar and mostly unused voice piercing through the air nearby. The woman had tried to conceal the face of her child from the rain with the cloth, but the wind had blown it away so the rain now fell unhindered upon the infant´s face. And between the child and the cloth there could be seen the corner of a paper, flapping in the wind.  
  
Then, out of nowhere, there appeared a man on the square. He was tall, young, with dark hair and wore white clothes all over, much like doctor´s clothing. He walked slowly towards the screaming child, bent down and picked it up. He stared at the small boy for a few moments, as if he was deciding what to do with it, then shielded his face from the rain with his hand. The baby did not stop crying but the cry got somewhat less desperate. Then the man started walking out of the square, exactly to the opposite direction the woman had gone. Finally the child stopped crying, looking up at the stranger´s face with strange affection in it´s young face, almost as if this man was his mother, not the young woman who brought him there. The man smiled down at the baby and brought it into a huge building, enclosed by trees in all directions. The building seemed like it was to fall apart, many of it´s uncountable windows broken, and the painting long gone.  
  
When inside, the man unwrapped the infant and lifted it up, it´s small body naked. He held the child up in front of him, smiling broadly, showing his straight teeth, his eyes becoming like small rippes in his young face. He could not be any older than 19, but he bore this kind of glow about him that showed much more matured and experienced personality than anyone his age could possibly have. His dark grey eyes were full of joy and laughter whichs only release was through these eyes. He laughed with his eyes, from his heart, but never aloud.  
  
The infant laughed it´s first laugh, stretching it´s arms out towards the man. But then the man noticed something he had not noticed before. A small piece of paper that had fallen out of the child´s cloth. He seemed to sigh, as if he had been waiting for this paper to appear with anticipation, took the child in his arms and bent down for the paper. He ran his eyes over the lines on the paper, smiling happily, although something seemed to be wrong. Then he wrapped the child back in the rags and walked in a corridor, going straight into the huge building.  
  
While walking with the child he spoke to it, played with it, letting it suck on his finger, until it fell asleep. He smiled gently at it, as if it was his own, his caring obvious in his eyes.  
  
Finally, after walking up many stairs and along many corridors, the man opened a door and entered a small room. There was the first human being he encountered in the house.  
  
The man inside the room turned around as he heard the dark haired man step inside. The man was wearing the same kind of clothes as the dark haired man, white with absolutely nothing personal on them. He had blond hair, a big nose and a long mouth with small, tight lips. The wrinkles at his eyes implied that he was the kind of man who was always worried about something, big or small. He was about 50 years old, and probably the type who did not smile a lot.  
  
He was standing in front of an operation table. The table was made of shiny metal and was covered with one sheet only. The only light in the room was from a lamp positioned directly above one end of the table.  
  
'It´s here?' the blond asked the dark haired man.  
  
'Yes!' the dark haired man answered, holding out the baby.  
  
'And the form?'  
  
'It is here!' He held out the piece of paper.  
  
'Good!' the blond said and nodded. 'Lay it here!' he said, waving his hand slowly at the table.  
  
The dark haired man did as the other one bidded and layed the child gently on the operation table. The infant opened it´s big, green eyes as far as they would go and looked puzzled at the dark haired man.  
  
'Sshhh...' the man said and smiled. 'Lie still!'  
  
'So.. what are we dealing with here?' the blond asked, unwrapping the clothing from the child. He began to inspect the child from head to toe.  
  
'A boy. 1 month old. Born in Lindblum. Unregistered. Fatherhood unknown.'  
  
'Name?'  
  
'What?'  
  
'Does it have a name?'  
  
'Well...'  
  
'What does the line signed 'name' say?' the blond asked irritably.  
  
'Um... It´s blank..' the dark haired man answered, staring puzzled at the unused line.  
  
'Blank?' the blond asked in surprise. 'What an unusual name...'  
  
'...'  
  
The dark haired man wrote down the supposed name.  
  
'Well, he seems to be pure. Put him with the others. I think he will be of some usage!'  
  
'Yes sir!'  
  
The dark haired man picked up the child, that had begun to cry again during this inspection. When they were back out on the corridor the dark haired man begun to sing to the boy, low at first, sounding like a whisper, but as they got further away from the inspection room he raised his voice, singing gayly to the boy, and the boy stopped crying, sucking on the man´s finger. Then falling asleep.  
  
They reached the fourth floor and the dark haired man found the room he was looking for. It was big, with many small beds, about 30 or 40 all in all. But only 3 of them were in use. One small bed in the far back was inhabited by a small girl, only about 1 year old, with blonde curls in her short hair, soundly asleep. Her snores sounded like a cat´s purr. She was grasping her small bunny figured teddy and her thumb stuck up her mouth.  
  
Not long from her was another small bed in use. In it lay a small boy, about 3 years old, with hair as white as snow, much more so than the girl´s, and skin so pale and shiny it looked like glass. The boy was sweating alot and a small whimper could be heard from his bed when the man entered the room.  
  
Then, in the third bed opposite the one the boy was lying in, there was another girl, about 7 years old. Her hair was dark brown and completely straight, falling down in long and thin locks over her back as she lay on her stomach. The girl was thinner than could be reasoned healthy, her cheeks flat, nearly like holes. But her face was untroubled, although there was a big bruise on her forhead.  
  
The dark haired man paused when he entered the room, looking over the room, checking on the three children. As he heard the whimper from one of the beds, where the boy lay, he walked to it, bent down and stroked the boy over his face.  
  
'Shh...' he whispered, calming the boy down. It worked and soon the child was sleeping soundly, like the two girls.  
  
The dark haired man found a small bed, a crib obviously meant for children under 1 year old, and put the small, redheaded boy in it. The boy did not wake up, but he whimpered a bit when the man´s finger left his mouth. But the dark haired man sat by his side for a few minutes, stroking his back gently, back and forth, calming him down. When the boy was sleeping tightly the man got up and walked out of the room, pausing only for a few seconds in the door, looking back at the four children.  
  
'Good night, Blank.' he whispered, closing the door.  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
'Boss?'  
  
'Yes Marcus?'  
  
'Who is this?'  
  
'Marcus, meet Blank!'  
  
'Hiya!'  
  
'...'  
  
'What´s wrong with him? Why doesn´t he answer me? Why´s he covering his eye?'  
  
'I don´t know, Marcus.'  
  
'Come now, let me see!'  
  
'No!'  
  
'Marcus, lay off the boy!'  
  
'Lemme see!'  
  
'No!'  
  
'C´mon!!'  
  
'Nooo!'  
  
*WHAM*  
  
'Ouch...'  
  
'Um... Blank.. you shouldn´t hit Marcus like that.'  
  
'...'  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Blaaank!'  
  
The small redheaded boy looked over his shoulder to see his blonde companion coming towards him.  
  
'Hi Mira!' he answered and smiled at her. He was only about 6 years old and she was 7. They were both dressed in white pants, which only reached their mid shins, and white, short-sleeved, zipped shirts.  
  
'Whatcha doing?'  
  
'Nuthin!'  
  
'Na-a, I saw you were doing sumthin!'  
  
'Na-a!' the redhaired boy shook his firery head fiercely.  
  
'Come on let me see! It´s a sword isn´t it?'  
  
'Nope! Go away!' and he continued to shake his head.  
  
'You know we´re not supposed to play with swords! You could get expelled!' she said, smugly.  
  
'I don´t have any sword, now go away!!' the boy shouted. He was not any good at lying.  
  
'Come on! Let me see and I won´t tell!'  
  
'No!'  
  
'Blank!!! Let me seeeee!!!' the girl shouted with as much irritating voice as she could, her blond, curly hair jumping up and down as she herself did without pausing.  
  
'You´re so selfish Blank!' she shouted at the boy, putting her fists on her hips.  
  
'Go away!' the boy said childishly!  
  
'I´m gonna go get uncle Mav'!' the girl said, stubbornly.  
  
'Fine! Just go!' the boy answered, trying to sound like he did not care.  
  
'He´ll spank you for this!'  
  
'...'  
  
'Come on, let me see!' the girl shouted as she found that all her tricks were not working.  
  
So she tried her last. She jumped at the boy and tried to pull the small dagger out of his hands. The boy tried to keep hold of his treasure, but the girl was both broader and taller than him so she easily grabbed the dagger out of his hands.  
  
'Give it back!' the boy cried in agony. But the girl turned away from him, and easily brushed his hands off her arms.  
  
'Give it back, now!' the boy persisted, now getting angry.  
  
'It´s kewl..' the girl said, staring at the dagger´s hilt.  
  
'Now!!!!!'  
  
'Nooooooo!' she teased him, turned at him, holding the dagger behind her back.  
  
*Wham*  
  
'...ow...'  
  
The boy had hit the girl in the stomach as hard as he could.  
  
The girl begun to cry.  
  
The boy grabbed the dagger and ran away, heading for his room.  
  
'Uncy Mav'!!!!' was the only thing the girl could shout between her intense screams.  
  
'What is going on?' a dark haired man yelled when he stepped into the hallway Mira was lying in, clutching her stomach.  
  
'Blank hit meeeeeeeeeee!' she whined.  
  
'He did what?' the dark haired man asked.  
  
'He *sob* hit me!! In the *sniffle* belly!!' She clutched her hands tighter over her stomach.  
  
'Now why would he do that?'  
  
'He´s jus' mean!!' the girl stated angrily.  
  
'Now Mira! What are you two up to?' the dark haired man asked her, putting on an angry face, obviously suspecting that this incident was not entirely the boy´s fault.  
  
'Nothing! He just hit me!'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'That boy is getting quite agressive, Mavor.' the blond man said pasing the floor of the studyroom.  
  
'I know,' the dark haired man answered, 'but it is merely a stage. All boys go through stages!'  
  
'Sure enough Lenil did not!'  
  
'Well, Lenil is special...' the dark haired man whispered, looking over the four children sitting in the play room, eyeing Lenil´s white head. They were there, sitting in a circle, working together on some project the blond had layed for them. None, her dark hair spreaded over her shoulder, was obviously in charge, for she was the oldest of them.  
  
'Special, yes! Along with the other three. But this behaviour of his has been progressing for quite some while now and you know as well as I do that this is on the borders of being a problem, Mavor!'  
  
The dark haired man sighed and looked at the redheaded boy´s face, as it flickered from sad to angry to astonished then sad again. 'Yes... he has a short temper, I know.' He looked at the blond man. 'But that does not mean that he´s not capable!'  
  
'Well, yes it does. If he isn´t capable of focusing on his study then he won´t be of any use to us. He´s better off without it, then.'  
  
The dark haired man looked startled. 'But..' he started. 'You can´t mean that! The boy is our.. he´s.. I mean...'  
  
'I know well that he is our best subject, BUT he is not getting any progress. His ratings are still the same as they were 3 months ago!'  
  
'But sir...'  
  
'This if final! Plus, he smuggled a weapon into out headquarters. That is enough for me to expell him.'  
  
The dark haired man turned to face the other direction than the one the children were in.  
  
'And I´m the one who´s supposed to tell him?' he asked, sounding tired.  
  
'Yes. And the one to erase his existance.'  
  
The dark haired man looked even more shocked. His face was pale as a corpse.  
  
'You didn´t seriously think that we would just let him go with all the knowledge he has about us?' the blond asked him questioningly.  
  
The dark haired man sighed again. 'No.' he answered. 'I guess not...'  
  
'Now then.. you´ll do it tomorrow, and dispose of him in Lindblum. So many bums die there every day, no one will notice one boy´s casualty.'  
  
The dark haired man nodded gravely. Then his eyes flickered back onto the face of the redhaired boy sitting with the other children, that face he knew so well. The one he had brought into this building in his arms only 6 years ago, the one he had raised and nurtured for all these years. The one he was supposed to kill. 'Erase'.  
  
Then, suddenly, as if the child had noticed that the dark haired man was staring at him, the boy looked directily at him, then stumbled to his feet and ran towards him.  
  
'See, uncle Mav'!' he half-shouted as he reached out his hands. 'See what we did, uncle Mav'!'  
  
The dark haired man looked flustered at the boy´s hands. In them he was holding a small object; a ball-like object filled with colors. There were white, blue and brown, but mostly red. The colors flickered over the ball, forming small words every now and then. The man looked at the small ball, trying to see what the colors said.  
  
'We made it for you!' the boy said smiling. 'We all put our favourite color inside of it, and made it make one word, the word we thought was somehow connected to you!' the boy´s smile grew even wider. 'Mira is the blue one, None the brown, Lenil the white and the red is mine!' he said, obviously proud of their work. He reached his hands further towards the man. 'Take it!'  
  
The dark haired man hesitated, but then took the small ball in his hands. It was not any bigger than a golfball, and he inspected it carefully. It was smooth and the colors in it beautiful. Then the colors flickered. First there came the blue forming the word 'Best'. The man smiled faintly and looked at Mira for an instant. She blushed and looked the other way. Then came the white color forming the word 'Strong'. The man laughed silently and saw the white haired boy brighten with joy. Then came the brown color in the shape of the word 'Kind'. Mavor looked flustered at None, who flinched from his gaze. Then at last came the red color and, to the dark haired man´s surprise, formed the word 'Father'.  
  
The man lost his face, as he felt himself melt like a teenagegirl who had just recieved a smile from the cutest boy in school. Then he gathered his dignity back, looked at the redhaired boy and smiled. 'Thank you!' he said and patted the boy on his head with his hand, which was huge compared to the boy´s head.  
  
The boy smiled broadly, then turned his back at the man and ran to his friends, the man´s heart sinking at the thought of having to end that adorable little life the following day.  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
'Is it done?' the blond asked as the dark haired man walked into the room.  
  
'Yes.'  
  
'And where did you put the body?'  
  
The dark haired man flinched.  
  
'Lindblum.'  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Wow... didn´t expect that one coming. Too corny? Centimental? But it just felt right.. And the way I always referred to people as 'the dark haired man' or 'the redhaired boy' in this chapter was on purpose. It, too, just felt right! Hopefully somebody´s enjoying this! If none is, that´s OK. I´m enjoying writing it! ^_^  
  
But this story is getting quite long.. I think it will reach novel length, or sumthin' ... Well, let´s just wait 'n' see.. I don´t have the ending up, yet. But this is fun, so I´ll keep it up.  
  
Thanx for reading, and hopefully REVIEW! :) (I´m writing this too often, aren´t I?!? ;) ) 


	9. A sight

Now to continue where we left off at the end of the seventh chapter... (Is this getting confusing?)  
  
Well, this is the last chapter I´m going to upload here. Not that the story is finished, more that this is getting rather pointless! Publishing this here without getting any reviews is kind of pointless, doncha think? So, I´ve decided to stop publishing here until I get some reviews. So if no one reads I won´t bother uploading. OK?  
  
But I´m still writing, so if you care to read the rest you´ll let me know! *still hoping...*  
  
Here we go...  
  
Chapter #9  
  
//A sight //  
  
Blank stared at the letter in Beatrix´s outstretched hand. His thoughts went astray in his mind, and he could not, as hard as he tried, keep them in order. He begun to sweat, flipping between being hot or cold.  
  
Not here! he thought, helplessly, knowing what was happening.  
  
He forgot to breath and it was not until Beatrix addressed him again that he realized that Veranda had disappeared inside the bathroom, firlmy shutting the door behind her, and he had forgotten to swallow. He swallowed, really hard as if he was trying to keep something from coming up.  
  
'What´s this?' he asked Beatrix, his mouth seeming far to dry.  
  
Beatrix shrugged. 'I think we both know what this is!' she said with a short, sarcastic laugh.  
  
Blank reached out his hand and took a hold of the letter. His name was written with small letters on it. He hesitantly unfolded it and read it to himself;  
  
****Letter****  
  
I see you´ve done quite well keeping yourself alive. I do also see that we do have a little misunderstanding between us here, so I want to personally leave you this message to explain everything.  
  
Even though you might find it unfair this is the truth and there is no running away from it!  
  
Blank, you are made, my friend. *FRIEND?! Blank thought.* You and me, we are made. Together we were forged for one purpose, and one purpose only. But I can´t tell you what that means right now. Not until you return to us, to where you belong. Nobody else is to know of this, and I think your brown haired friend with the eyepatch is likely to oppose to our ways of handling things, as well as our purpose.  
  
We were four, if you do not remember. Four children, brainwashed and manipulated so that we could carry out one man´s quest. We were chosen because we are the only one´s left of our kin.  
  
In the beginning there were four tribes. The Martars, the Poters, the Kendas and the Wulnors. They were all named after their gods, that is Martar, Poter, Kenda and Wulnor, and each tribe carried out their god´s bidding. But it is foretold that if four personas, one from each tribe with pure blood and possess of their powers, join in one, they can do greater things that we could ever imagine.  
  
I have gathered the other two, and now all we need is you. You are our Kenda!  
  
Come to the outside of the city after one week and meet us. I you don´t, this will continue.  
  
PS: A group of bandits approached you before, did they not? Take no notice of them, for we do not know who they are. They are most likely acting on a bounty that has been put at your friend´s head.  
  
****Letter Ends****  
  
Blank stared at the letter with disbelief.  
  
This is nonsense! he thought to himself. But still, he felt the doubt gnawing at him from inside out. It all matched. But he did not believe it. He did not want to believe it.  
  
'Well?' Beatrix asked him.  
  
Blank looked at her, obviously shocked. He had forgotten about her presence. It kind of reminded him of the time he got the third letter in Alexandria.  
  
He handed her the letter silently, showing no expression. Beatrix read it, and took her time doing it, obviously wanting to capture every detail of it, her expression getting more shocked by the minute. Blank just stared into the gloom, sitting on his bed, his body leaning forward in a lazy gesture and his head cocked to the right. His hands lay motionless in his lap.  
  
Beatrix finished reading the letter and whistled. She opened her mouth, as to say something, but then she seemed to suddenly hesitate. Then she sighed, shutting her mouth. She shook her head, looked out the window, sighed again and looked directly at Blank.  
  
'So...' she started, not sure what to say. 'What does this mean?' Blank looked at her, obviously unhappy although Beatrix could not see his eyes. 'I mean, do you believe all of this?'  
  
Blank shook his head slowly. 'I don´t know.. I honestly don´t know!' He looked back out the window, his mouth, the only part of his face that could tell anything about his feelings that Beatrix could see, was completely relaxed.  
  
'What do you want to do?' she asked him carefully, but still firmly.  
  
'I´m gonna meet them.'  
  
'What?!'  
  
'It´s not really like I have a choice, now is it!?' he snapped at her. 'Either I go an' see them or they´ll murder every single woman in these parts!' He let himself fall backwards onto the bed. 'We´ll just stay here for a week and then I´ll go and meet them. Let´s not plan this any further!'  
  
'They might be out there only to kill you, you know. This might be a trap!'  
  
'But I´ll have you two with me!' he added.  
  
'Yes, and that is probably the thing they´re depending on!' she said sharply, and handed him another piece of paper. He sat up and took it.  
  
It was a dirty sheet, ragged around the edges and crumbled but Blank could easily read what it said;  
  
*parchment starts:*  
  
WANTED! General Beatrix of Alexandria. Wanted for threachery, dead or alive! One of her companions, a redheaded man around 20 years old, is to be captured and brought back alive! The third companion is of no importance.  
  
Payment: 1.000.000 Gil if both are turned in.  
  
*parchment ends!*  
  
Beside the text there was a rough scetch of Beatrix and at the bottom there was an address located in Alexandria where they were to be delivered. Blank gaped at this bounty.  
  
'ONE MILLION GIL?!' he yelled.  
  
'You know, that´s not the point.' Beatrix answered, profoundly offended.  
  
'I know...' he said, out of breath. 'But ONE MILLION!?'  
  
'Yes, it is alot, and only one person in Alexandria is capable of throwing such money into a bounty!' she said, disgusted.  
  
Blank looked at her. 'No!' he exclaimed. 'Garnet would never do anything like this, not to you!!' he said sternly.  
  
'No, not Garnet, I´m well aware of that. It is Zidane´s work, you know!'  
  
If not for the belt Beatrix would have seen Blank´s eyes widen in shock.  
  
'Zidane!?' he shouted. 'No! Nonononono! That´s not possible!' he said, his doubt clinging through his voice. 'I´ve known Zidane for a long time now, and I´m sure he is not a person capable of something like this!' he told her, slamming the parchment in his hand on the bed and slamming his hand on it, shaking his head.  
  
'Blank..' Beatrix said in a voice that sounded both irritated and on the break of loosing the grip on herself. 'Listen to me!' she said harshly. 'That is the only explanation! I know you´ve known him since childhood, but you can´t overlook the fact that he´s changed and plus he hates my guts! Who else would know of us travelling together, that wanted me dead, you captured alive and does not care what happens to Veranda.' She said, her eyes flickering to the bathroom door. 'You know he dislikes Veranda, after she spoke up during dinner. I know it sounds crazy, ´cause no normal human would hold grudges against anyone for something like that. But you´ll also have to remember that Zidane isn´t an ordinary human! He´s a genome, and they are a whole lot different from...'  
  
'Shut it!' he interrupted her. 'How do you know they are so different from us!?'  
  
'I don´t, that´s the reason we´re meeting with Mikoto!'  
  
Blank paused. He put one hand to his mouth, looked to his right and bit his index finger. 'Do you also think that Mikoto´s gone loco?' he asked her slowly. Regretfully.  
  
'I don´t know. But I´m gonna go see her.' She answered. 'I met with a man today and he is locating her for me as we speak. I´m to meet him in about half an hour. He said it would be easy to find one person in Lindblum with a tale.'  
  
They sat in silence for a few minutes.  
  
Blank was lost in thought. He could not believe that Zidane, whom he had known nearly all of his life, or all the part that he remembered, had placed a bounty on his general, and commanded that Blank himself was to be captured and brought to him. What could he possibly want with Blank that was so urgent. And why did he think that he would have to bring Blank to him with force? If he would just ask, Blank would meet with them.  
  
Strange...  
  
After a half an hour Beatrix left, meeting with this 'Huginn' person. Blank just sat in silence, continuing his thoughts.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Two hours later...  
  
'Veranda?' Blank knocked on the door. 'Veranda?!'  
  
'Whaddya want?' she almost whispered from inside of the bathroom.  
  
'Aren´t you going to come out soon?'  
  
'...'  
  
'You´ve been in there for over three hours!'  
  
'So?'  
  
'So?' Blank sounded puzzled. 'So, this can´t be healthy. What are you doing?'  
  
'Nothing!'  
  
'Then come out!'  
  
'...'  
  
'Please?'  
  
'..no...'  
  
Blank walked to the bed and sat down. The sound of Veranda continuing to throw up sounding as loud as the alert horns. Then, few minutes afterwards, Veranda stopped, and Blank could clearly hear as she turned the shower (A/N: yeees, shower... mmm....) on for the fifth time. This had been going on again and again over the past 3 hours...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Are you sure?' Beatrix asked Muninn. Huginn had not come to meet her, he had seemed a bit afraid of her earlier that day and it did not really surprise Beatrix that he shifted the responsibility onto his assistant. Muninn seemed to wince when she spoke, then he answered:  
  
'My master is always sure, or else he would not give you this information!' he said. 'Now.. for the 2,000 gil...?'  
  
Beatrix had succeeded in bargaining with Huginn and got him to slacken his price down by 8,000 gil, from 10,000 to 2,000. She grinned inside and handed the money to Muninn, who grabbed it hastily and turned away, running to his hide-out. Beatrix watched him go, then looked down at the parchment in her hand that Muninn had given her.  
  
This is what´s going to answer all my questions! She thought to herself.  
  
She unrolled the parchment and read it to herself. It said that Mikoto lived in the theatre district, really not far away from the Tantalus hide- out. There was also a full description of her neighbours, her work schedual and her normal routine through the week.  
  
He really knows his work, eh? Beatrix thought, impressed by the thouroughness of Huginn´s work.  
  
She started back to the inn.  
  
On the way she came across a few pieces of the bounty placed on her and Blank and tore them all down from the brickwalls they were hanging on.  
  
Arrogant fool! She thought to herself as she crumbled the papers up and threw them away, cursing aloud. In her mind she fantasied about different ways to torture Zidane, that little monkey-tailed geek that she detested so much. But the thing that troubled her the most was why he had wanted Blank captured? Perhaps he was just still fond of his friend and wanted to make sure that he was not killed, but that hardly seemed like the answer to Beatrix. It was something else, something she could not quite see but was sure it was there. Somewhere. Hidden.  
  
After walking for several minutes, or actually more strolling lazily, she looked up from the street, looking at something she had only detected in the corner of her eye. It had come so suddenly, like a mouse or something very fast, but it was actually quite big, bigger than she, green and red. But when she looked there was nothing there. She looked to her other side but saw nothing.  
  
'Beatrix?'  
  
The voice from behind her startled her and she gasped, turning around. Before her stood Amarant Corel, huge, green and red. He was standing with his arms folded, his back leaned backwards and his hips pointing forvard, his weight on only one leg.  
  
'Amarant!' Beatrix exclaimed. 'What are you doing here? I thought no one was to leave the kingdom at the same time as we did, concerning the operation we are having!' she splurted.  
  
'Yeah, well, I snug out.' He said, scratching his chin.  
  
'Well, yes, I can see that...' Beatrix answered dryly. 'What are you willing here?'  
  
'I´m here to find you!'  
  
Beatrix suddenly tightened up, grabbing for her sword, drawing it and pointing it at Amarant.  
  
'You´re here because of the bounty, aren´t ya?!' she shouted at him, remembering that Amarant was one of the best bounty-hunters on all Gaia.  
  
'Bounty?' Amarant asked, fumbled. 'What bounty?'  
  
Beatrix glared at him, then handed him the bounty note she kept in her pocket, all the time keeping the top of her sword pointed at him.  
  
'One million, huh?' Amarant mumbled. 'That's quite a sum!' he told her. 'Who's paying?' he asked.  
  
She puffed once through her nose, lowering her sword. 'I think you know as well as I do who's buying!' she snapped at him.  
  
'Zidane?'  
  
She nodded.  
  
'I know!' he answered. 'He's not in his right mind.' he said thoughtfully, looking over the street as if making sure that no one was listening.  
  
'You noticed too?' she asked him.  
  
'Yeah!' he nodded. 'I watched him the whole time we were working together three years ago. He's changed. He's probably gone mad!'  
  
Beatrix looked at him for quite some while before snapping at him; 'I think you better come with me!'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'A Kenda?' Blank thought to himself aloud.  
  
Blank read the letter again. He had read it so many times since Beatrix left, but the content had not begun sinking into his mind.  
  
Kenda?  
  
Blank thoughts wandered, from the letter to his own fucked up thoughts. This was what he had feared all along. He wanted to unravel his own origin and all that, but he wanted the outcome to be pleasant. Nice. He did not want himself to come out of it as a some kind of saint, but neither did he want to turn out to be a demon, made to destroy this world like Zidane's outcome had been. And that was also most probably the reason Zidane seemed to be going mad.  
  
I'm a freak! Was the only thing he could make out of this letter.  
  
His memory seemed to be coming back, much to his dislike. He begun to remember glimpses of his childhood, from before the day he woke up in the streets of Lindblum. He remembered figures, mostly faceless figures that were only identifiable by the hair falling down around their heads. There was a white clad head, brown, black, blonde. well, there were two blond heads. He remembered a big building and many hallways, and there it ended. He did not remember any details, nor any events that happened to him. But try as he might, because although he did not want to he always tried to remember more, he could not make himself remember anything more. He tried and tried, only creating himself a bunch of headache and a tired mind.  
  
He laid down on the bed, resting one hand on his stomach. His big gloves felt so hot and his belt was burning at his skin like hot iron. Blank reached for the buckle and loosened it, then letting the ends of the belt fall down to the bed at each side of his head. He sighed and tried to relax. He had actually gotten quite good at ignoring the headache and maybe, just maybe, he could make it go away.  
  
Then the bathroom door was unlocked and opened. Veranda was standing in it, looking very pale and sick. Blank sat up, wanting to ask her how she was feeling, not remembering that he had taken off his belt.  
  
Veranda looked at him once, then screamed, clutched her hand over her mouth and stumbled back into the bathroom as fast as she could, locking the door behind her.  
  
Oh, great! He thought, reaching for his belt.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Oh my god!  
  
Veranda was hugging the door.  
  
What was THAT!?  
  
Veranda shook her head. Her hair was wet after taking 7 showers in a 3 ½ hours period and it stuck to her face like a magnet.  
  
Then Blank knocked on the door. Veranda jumped away from it like she had burned herself on it. Then she could hear Blank's voice from the other side.  
  
'Um.. Veranda?' it said, carefully.  
  
She did not respond. She did not even try. And even if she had she had not been able to say anything understandable. Her lungs were pumping air every mille-second and her heart was racing a mile a minute. She could hear Blank clear his throat outside. Then, without knowing why, she spoke;  
  
'What was that?'  
  
'.'  
  
'Blank, what was that?!' she half-shouted.  
  
'I've put it on again! You can come out again!' he half-mumbled.  
  
Veranda shook her head. What kind of a freak was he?  
  
'No! What was that Blank!? Tell me NOW!'  
  
'My eye..?'  
  
'Yes, your EYE! Was that really what you would call an 'eye'!?' she demanded of him.  
  
'.'  
  
Veranda saw it again before her eyes. The gleaming light of the metal, the tiny, red light in the middle, and the bright blue light twitching through it. The way it had stared back at her, empty and cold, beside that beautiful, green, dreamy eye he had.  
  
'What happened to you?' she asked him, full of both disgust and pity.  
  
'I honestly don´t know!' he whispered throught the door. 'I´ve been like this as long as I can remember!'  
  
Veranda stiffled a cry. Shy wanted to scream. It had just been utterly disgusting! It had been horrifying, nausiating, shocking, overpoweringly gruesom. She had been totally unprepared for that sight, in all ways. Sure, she had often thought about what could lurk under the belt, what color his eyes were or if even there was something there that he did not want seen, a scar or something. But nothing as horrible as this! This was just... deeply troubling.  
  
She did not know why this was so shocking to her. She could only guess that she did not fancy machinery.  
  
She slowly approached the door.  
  
'Get away from it!' she commanded him. Then, after a few seconds, she opened it. And there he was. The same old Blank that she had seen so often. His belt covering his face from anyone to see. But Veranda could not help but remember the sight she had seen. The horrifying right eye of his. She shuddered.  
  
He tried to approach her, reaching out a hand towards her, but she flinched away from his hand, with a sickening expression.  
  
'Just don´t touch me from now on!' she told him raising her hands above her head. He looked down at his feet and drawed away from her. He had always known that he looked hideous but he had never expected anyone to react so badly. Sure, he had been called a freak, a robot, non-human, an alien, but that had all come from people he did not know, and did not want to know.  
  
This was the reason that he had never shown his eye to anyone besides Baku. Not even Zidane, his best friend.  
  
Now it was Blank´s turn to inhabit the bathroom. He went in there, slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Veranda still standing in the middle of the room. He was obviously hurt, but did not want to show it. Inside he ripped off his belt, stared at himself in the mirror, loathing that hunk of junk in his face. Hating the thing that separated him from normal human beings. His eye and his skin. He found himself guilty of wondering that if what 'they' said was true then maybe, just maybe, they would be able to tell him what he was. Why he had a machine for an eye, why he was not made out of one piece, with one skincolor as all normal people.  
  
A week? That was just much too long. He had to know sooner. He just had too.  
  
Then he heard the door outside shutting.  
  
Beatrix was back.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: Well... great! Then that´s final! This is the last chapter to be published. Aww.. I feel sad.. .. ..... hopefully I´ll get reviews, encouraging me to upload the rest, but I´m not optimistic...  
  
But anyhoo.. Amarant is beginning to be a part of the story now! this is getting more complicated by the minute. Today is the fourth of march, 2003 and I started this on the twentythird of january! This has been evolving rather rapidly. Hopefully it´s making some sense to whoever will read this. And even though there are like 2 years since I wrote this and I haven´t pusblished the rest, but there´s someone reading this that wants to know the rest, try to contact me! There´s no telling wether or not I´ve finished it by then, and I´ll probably publish it if I´m asked!  
  
But only if I´m asked...  
  
Oo I´m gettin arty here! ;) anywho, write on..  
  
Helga 


	10. Mikoto´s

Well, I´ve started to realize that this fic is not turning in the direction that Zidane fans would love, so I´ll just warn you now! If you´re a Zidane fan prepare yourself for a Zidane bashing!!!! Now with this out of the way, there will be no flames, right?!  
  
Well, in this chapter Mikoto joins in somewhat...  
  
Chapter #10  
  
//Mikoto´s//  
  
Veranda slowly edged her way to the door and then as slowly opened them. Outside Beatrix stood, frowning, and behind her, huge as ever, Amarant stood, scratching his chin, as always. Veranda was quite shocked with seeing him there, but let the two of them in anyway. Amarant seemed too big to fit in the small innroom, but somehow he managed to make his way to Blank´s bed and sat down on it.  
  
'Where´s Blank?' was the first thing Beatrix asked Veranda.  
  
Veranda, who was still staring at Amarant, thinking what the hell he was doing there, pointed at the bathroom.  
  
'So, you´ve switched places?' she asked her and sighed. 'Has he been in there long?'  
  
'No, just couple of minutes!' Veranda answered. 'But I don´t think he´ll be out any time soon!' she added.  
  
Beatrix looked at her with a quiestioning look, then turned her attention on the bathroom door.  
  
'Blank? You in there?' she shouted and leaned towards it.  
  
'Whatdoyawant?'  
  
Now, this is awfully familiar! Beatrix thought.  
  
'Whatcha doing?' She had been developing a more casual way of speaking during her travel with the two of them, not having to act like in front of a royal born.  
  
'Nothing!'  
  
'As always! Get your ass out here! Amarant Corel´s here and he has some information ´bout Zidane! And he needs to talk to you!' she shouted.  
  
Silence...  
  
Then the bathroom door opened and Blank, looking like hell, emerged out. He shook his head, then turned to face Amarant.  
  
'Hey there!' he said weakly, nodding at Amarant, who returned the nod. Blank sat down on Beatrix´s bed opposite Amarant and Beatrix by his side. Veranda placed herself on her own bed, positioned by the other wall in the room, a little away from the other two. Lying, she watched every movement of the other three.  
  
More silence...  
  
Then all of a sudden Amarant reached out a hand towards Blank and said; 'Here! Take it!'  
  
Blank looked at him in surprise and reached out his own.  
  
'I met Marcus on my way out, and he asked me to bring you this!' Amarant continued, dropping the thing from his palm and into Blank´s. It was a pendant. 'He said you would know what this is!'  
  
Blank only nodded as he let his eyes inspect the pendant in his palm. The small, silver pendant with the white stone.  
  
The pendant he had given to Ruby.  
  
He tightened his hand into a fist over it, squeezing it with all his strength.  
  
Beatrix seemed to notice the change in Blank when seeing the pendant so she spoke to him;  
  
'So, I met Amarant on the way back here,' she started, Blank not looking at her, 'and we went to a bar and talked things over. That´s why I was gone for so long!' she told him, nodding her head. 'He too has noticed changes in Zidane!'  
  
That seemed to capture Blank´s attention and he looked up at Amarant.  
  
'Like what?' he asked, not sure if he was prepared to hear the answer.  
  
'Well, for one, he seems to be totally in charge of Garnet´s thinking! It looks like she hasn´t thought a single thought by herself since the marriage! She follows the King around like a dog, saying only what he feels, not having any opinions of her own, almost asking him persmission to speak aloud! It´s freaky! I´ve never seen anyone like this! It looks like brainwashing!' he shuddered. 'And it has conitnuesly begun to grow stronger and stronger every day! Garnet looses more control of herself each day that passes!'  
  
Blank looked down onto the floor. This was what he had feared. Bad news. He yearned to hear something really nice for once, since these moodkilling informations about his past were brought to his attention. He had craved to be informed that this had all just been one big misunderstanding. He wanted to hear Zidane say that the bounty on Beatrix´s head was nothing but a mere misunderstanding, however that could be reasoned. He wanted to hear that Ruby was not dead, that Zidane was not going mad, that he was not made! He craved these things so badly that it was almost physically hurting him.  
  
But he did not recieve the thrill of having his wish granted, much more than usual.  
  
Blank clasped his hand even tighter around the pendant.  
  
'Yes.' he said gravely, looking at his fist. 'I noticed too.'  
  
Beatrix looked at him, and to Amarant´s surprise he could see that her eye spoke of pity. Amarant kind of pitied Blank himself, but he did not show it, for Blank was in fact trying hard to hide his pain. It was even more obvious when Blank sighed a bit, then drew himself up, sitting straight and speaking sternly;  
  
'Do you think this is Zidane´s doing?' and he pointed at the bounty notice in Beatrix´s hand.  
  
Amarant scratched his chin. 'Well, I gotta tell ya that I´m not sure!' Blank looked a tiny bit relieved. 'But,' Amarant kept on. 'I can´t be sure. The more I think about it the more likely it becomes.' The relief disappeared from Blank´s face.  
  
'But could you think of any motive? Why would he want Beatrix dead?'  
  
Amarant lifted his chin, looking at the ceiling. 'Well, for starters, he hates her!' Beatrix frowned. 'Sorry ´bout that.' Amarant added with one eyebrow raised. Beatrix waved a hand at him. 'and besides that, she is really the only one opposing any threat to his new little game!'  
  
'What do you mean?' Blank asked him, questioningly.  
  
'Well, he has been getting quite comfy in the throne... and no one seems to notice anything so strange about him to make a fuzz about it, EXCEPT,' he said raising his eyebrows and leaning a bit forward, 'his loyal general!' He turned to Beatrix. 'And you do have enough authority to make people listen to you! So you really are a threat to his little personal kingdom.'  
  
Beatrix just nodded. She had known this all along.  
  
They sat in silence for several moments.  
  
'I´m going to go to bed...' Blank said suddenly.  
  
'What?' Amarant asked, surprised.  
  
'I´m gonna go sleep. I can´t think! It´s 5 a.m.! We´ll do some thinking and planning tomorrow.' And so he stood up, walked behind Amarant, drew up the blanket covering his bed just enough for him to slide under it, laid his head down on the pillow and tucked the blanket around him. His hand was still tucking the pendant.  
  
'Good night!' he said.  
  
Amarant, who had followed Blank with his eyes, looked at Beatrix, who lifted her shoulders and hands gesturing that they should maybe humor him and go to sleep.  
  
'So, I´ll go rent a room?' Amarant asked standing up.  
  
'Nah, you can crash on the floor if you want. Or me and Veranda can share a bed. No need to spend more money!' Beatrix said, waving a hand at him. 'Unless, you don´t mind?' she then asked him.  
  
'No, no, I don´t mind! I´ll crash on the floor, thank you!' and he hit the floor, tucking that small sack which kept all his worldly possessions under his head and laid still.  
  
'Good night...' Beatrix said into the night.  
  
Veranda sat silently on her bed for a few minutes, then, when she was convinced that the three of them were fast asleep, got up, got to the bathroom and locked the door.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
At 1 p.m. Veranda opened her eyes. The ceiling above her was white and smooth with small cracks in it leading from one corner. She turned her head to the right and found that she was alone in the room. She sat up and yawned. Her stomach screamed in pain of having nothing to digest for over 24 hours, but she ignored it. Standing up without pausing to sit she saw a note on the desk. She walked to the table and read it to herself;  
  
''Blank and I have gone to see Mikoto. Amarant will wait for you downstairs at 1 p.m. - Beatrix''  
  
Great, she thought. I´m stuck alone with Amarant! Why didn´t they just wake me up?  
  
Irritated she noticed that it was already 1 p.m. so she hurried downstairs, buttoning the green shirt she had gotten from Ruby´s wardrobe. The blue skirt was flowing around her legs. She was absolutely not used to these long and wide skirts. She had been wearing only a knee-long, tight skirt in her maid job at the Alexandrian castle. This one only got in her way.  
  
When she got downstairs Amarant was already there, leaning up against the wall in front of the counter.  
  
'You finally awake!?' he said, standing up straight and scratching his chin.  
  
'Yeah,' she said, fixing her short, dark hair which stood almost directly up into the air. 'why didn´t you wake me up?'  
  
'Oh, you were sleeping so soundly...' he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
'What?'  
  
'You were actually kicking and screaming in your sleep at 9 a.m. when the others woke up, so when they got you all calm again they decided that you probably needed a few hours of peaceful sleep! So they left around 12 to visit this Mikoto girl, still not wanting to wake you up!' He smiled at her a smile that you would direct at an infant.  
  
'Yeah, how nice of them!' Veranda snapped, no expression in her voice. 'So, are we going to meet them anywhere?'  
  
'Yeah, they said it was most likely best if we did not all turn up on Mikoto´s doorstep so we were to meet them there at about 2 p.m. So now we´ve got some time to eat! Care for some grubs?'  
  
'Sure, why not!'  
  
Veranda found that it was surprisingly easy to talk to Amarant. He had always looked so threatening, so hostile without really doing anything that could be considered hostile. He did not talk when he did not see a need for it, but the silence between them never got uncomfortable or awkward like it did so often when with strangers. Veranda found that it was nice to be able to skip the small talk when with someone.  
  
They found themselves a little cafe and ate something that looked like a newt on a stick, but tasted strangely good. Amarant ordered a beer and was quite shocked to see Veranda ask for it as well. He had never witnessed any woman, other than Freya, drink beer. If women ever drunk around him they would order portwine or champaign which would not really get them drunk. He smiled a little and gulped down a big swallow of beer to hide it.  
  
'It´s nearing 2 p.m.!' Veranda said when she had finished the last sip out of her own beermug. 'Shouldn´t we head off?'  
  
'Well, since it´s just down the street,' and he pointed at a house that they could see through one window. 'I think that we don´t need to rush it!'  
  
Veranda nodded, but the same instant the door of Mikoto´s house flew open and a girl came running out through it. She had a tail and her hair was blond and short. It was obviously Mikoto.  
  
Mikoto ran away from the house frantically, running aimlessly out to nowhere and, Veranda thought she could hear, was screaming. But not in fear or in agony, but anger. She was shouting angry things and pointing back at her own house. And in the door, both Veranda and Amarant could see, Beatrix was now standing, one hand on her hip and the other at her temple, covering her closed eyes. She then moved a bit and let Blank walk out of the house and onto the street. They could see Mikoto back away a bit at the sight of him and continue screaming and Veranda turned to face Amarant.  
  
'Maybe we should get out there?'  
  
'Yeah, that´s most probably right!'  
  
Veranda payed for their lunch and then followed Amarant out. When they got outside they could just catch the end of a sentence Mikoto was screaming.  
  
'...and do not get near me, you freak!' and pointing at Blank. She was still backing away from Blank, but getting closer and closer to Veranda and Amarant who were walking in her direction. Finally, without realizing, Mikoto flung herself in Amarants arms, who caught hold of her upper arms and held her tight. She yelled out in an instant shock and looked up to face Amarant. Then she screamed again.  
  
'Who the hell are you!?' She was shaking and her voice was getting soar from all the yelling. 'And you?' she said when she saw Veranda.  
  
'We´re with them.' Amarant stated slowly, nodding in Blank´s direction.  
  
'AHH! Let me GO!' Mikoto shouted struggling. Then Amarant could feel his feet being pulled from under him and he was all of a sudden lying uncomfortably on the street. He shook his head in amazement, not knowing what had happened. But he had let go of Mikoto´s arms, so she was now free and trying to find a way to escape from them, not able to find any. Amarant rose to his feet as fast as he could and looked inquiringly at Veranda.  
  
'She tripped you with her tail!' she explained. Amarant had totally forgotten about that tail, which seemed quite strong to have pulled his legs from under him. Amarant rubbed his right arm, the one he had landed on, and found that he would probably get a big bruise there.  
  
Now, THAT´S a woman! he thought, amused.  
  
Now Mikoto was standing just in the middle between Amarant and Blank, looking unease and keeping a close eye on both of them, and also the two women.  
  
'What do you want?' she asked suspiciously. 'More lies?' she turned to face Blank.  
  
'... Mikoto... you know I would not lie about something this important to both me and y...' Blank started but was cut off by Mikoto.  
  
'Important to you!? What´s important to you, you freak? Do you even have feelings? You´re not real!'  
  
'Please!' Blank kept on. 'Let´s not talk about this out here in the open. Come back inside with us! We are not going to hurt you!'  
  
'Why should I trust you!?'  
  
'Have we shown any kind of activities that indicate that you shouldn´t?' Blank asked her. She glared at Amarant, who raised his arms.  
  
'You ran into me!' he said innocently. Mikoto glared at him even harder.  
  
'Mikoto, please!' Blank said, reaching out a hand.  
  
She watched him for a second with untrusting eyes, then answered;  
  
'Well... just for a few minutes. But if you try anything,' and she pointed her finger warningly at Amarant, 'I won´t go easy on you!'  
  
'Right! OK! You can lower your tail now...' Amarant answered, and Mikoto lowered her tail, which end had shapen itself into a fist, prepared to strike.  
  
They walked silently into her house, Mikoto always making sure that she did not touch any of them, and into her living room. Her house, Veranda noticed, was made up from old-looking furniture and many small, also old- looking and wooden accessories that covered the walls and shelves in her cozy little home. Veranda thought it was very nice, and her couch and the chairs around it looked so comfortable that she wanted to throw herself in them. But decided to stand. She did not want to sit down.  
  
Beatrix sat in the sofa with Blank at her one side. Amarant sat in one of the arm chairs beside it. Mikoto drew the other to the front of the sofa and sat down, but not until she had positioned it far enough from them. She did not want to in their grasp.  
  
'So..?' Mikoto began. 'What do you want?' she sounded totally suspicious of them, as should be expected.  
  
'We told you before!' Beatrix told her sternly.  
  
'Yes, you want to know if I'm going insane! You've made that quite clear by showing off your own insanity!' She glared at Blank. 'Now would you mind telling me WHY you want to know this? What does my sanity have to do with you?'  
  
Blank looked unease, not knowing what to say he only coughed a bit. Amarant scratched his chin and Beatrix just sat stiffly, looking hardly at Mikoto. None of them was likely to speak aloud any time soon so Veranda grabbed the opportunity to say something.  
  
'Mikoto, have you had any kind of a contact with you brother the last three years?'  
  
Mikoto looked startled, both of the question and of that Veranda had asked her this. Both Beatrix and Blank had explained to her how they were connected to the subject, but Veranda she did not know.  
  
'And who are you, if I'm allowed to ask!' Mikoto said hostilely.  
  
'I'm Veranda. I am a personal maid of Queen Garnet's, and a friend of these three here! What more would you like to know?'  
  
Mikoto did not answer right away. The foul expression on her face was getting softer and her body was not as stiff now as it was five minutes ago. Her voice was even calming down.  
  
'Well, no, not really!' she answered. Then she seemed to think about the former question. 'And no, I haven't had any contact with my brother, Zidane, since I got here from Terra. I received a letter from him very shortly after he was found, but that's about it! He hasn't returned my reply to him!' She then paused, as if thinking over what she had said. 'Why are you asking me this, anyways?'  
  
Beatrix sighed and spoke in stead of Veranda, who had just begun to inhale to speak. 'How much do you know about yourself, Mikoto?'  
  
'..what do you mean?'  
  
'I mean, how much do you know about your being a genome?'  
  
Mikoto paused. 'Not that much, really!' She hesitated. 'We were made so that we would destroy this world. Or something like that anyway...'  
  
'That's right! Now tell me; Do you feel any kind of urge to go out there,' she pointed out the window and into the sky, 'and take over?! Or destroy it, even!?'  
  
Mikoto stared at her with both disbelief and pity. 'No. Are you sure you're not the one who needs help...?' Beatrix only gave her an evil eye. Mikoto realized that she was not in the mood for a little humor so she returned to the subject. 'No, I do not feel any need or urge to go out there and dominate or destroy the universe! Now, are you satisfied?'  
  
'Yes,' Beatrix answered. 'up to some degree!'  
  
Mikoto sighed and rolled her eyes. 'What more do you want, woman?'  
  
'Would you mind exusing us for several minutes?' Beatrix asked her.  
  
'Sure, go right ahead!' Mikoto answered, not seeming to be thinking about gettin up herself. Beatrix just stared at her, and finally Mikoto broke, got up and splattered; 'Fine, fine, I´ll go! Great! I´m going to get something to eat!' and walked out. The four of them could hear some clatter from pots being positioned on the stove and dishes being uncabineted.  
  
'Well?' Veranda inquired from the silent Beatrix. Beatrix hesitated for a while, staring at the table in front of her. It was made out of dark wood and polished so it gleamed. 'What do we do now?' Veranda kept on.  
  
'I don´t know!' Beatrix stated, thoughtfully. 'There seems to be nothing wrong with Mikoto, she´s getting used to living in this world obviously,' she waved a hand at the walls around them, 'and doesn´t seem to be having any psycological problems!'  
  
'But..?' Amarant asked. 'There´s obviously a 'but' there!'  
  
'But.. I can´t just walk away. We´ve got to take her with us!' Beatrix said.  
  
'What?' Blank exclaimed. 'Now, aren´t you taking this a little too far? I mean, you can´t just rip her from her life, saying that it is for the good of the world, without telling her what it´s all about!'  
  
'Yes, we can!' she stated stubbornly.  
  
Veranda sighed loudly and threw her arms into the air. 'Now I´m siding with Mikoto! You´re totally out of your mind!'  
  
'No, I´m not! Think about it! It´s the only reasonable thing to do!'  
  
'I´m afraid that I´ll have to side with the other girls on this, Beatrix!' Amarant spoke, slowly. 'This is just not sane!'  
  
Beatrix glared at them both. Then she looked inquiringly at Blank, who sighed and spoke;  
  
'Well, I think that we should inform Mikoto about this... situation concerning her brother. I think she has a right to know!'  
  
'But they´re not really siblings! They´re just of the same.. tribe, if you will! It´s just like saying that Freya was the sister of every single Burmecian there is!' Amarant said in a nagging tone of voice.  
  
'Well, Zidane is her only 'family' or at least the only one in the world who comes close to it!' Veranda said. 'I guess it´s just right to tell her!'  
  
'Yes! We´ll do that!' Beatrix stated, and no one of the others had the courage to oppose her.  
  
Beatrix got up from the couch, sighed and walked to the kitchen. The others just waited. They could hear the soft murmur of the two women´s voices but they could not hear what they were saying. They did not say anything themselves, though they were not really listening either. They just seemed to sit around there silently, all thinking about their own things. Blank on the couch, Amarant in an armchair and Veranda standing in the doorway leading from the corridor.  
  
Then, after a few minutes the murmur stopped. And there was silence.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
'Where do we go now?' Amarant asked Beatrix when they stood outside Mikoto´s house. Mikoto had taken the news about her 'brother' quite well, too well for Amarant´s nerves, but she had not agreed to go with them. She said she would think about it during this week and then tell them her decision, considering that they had to stay in town until Blank could meet with that woman.  
  
Yes, Beatrix had told Mikoto the whole story, starting with the marriage. More Beatrix did not know, so now everything was in Mikoto's hands. Now she knew as much as all the others did, maybe that was to be considered too much.  
  
'We go back to the inn!' Beatrix answered. 'Where to else?' Amarant shrugged.  
  
'I´m gonna go somewhere else!' Blank said suddenly. Having been silent since Beatrix left for the kitchen the others were shocked by his speech. 'I´ll meet you back at the inn soon!'  
  
'Where are you going?' Veranda asked him casually.  
  
'I´ve got to pick up some stuff. I won´t be long!'  
  
'That´s all right! Not like we´re in any rush now!' Beatrix told him without looking at him and waved a hand at him. 'You just run along!'  
  
'Thanx!' Blank said, running off.  
  
'Well, then I´m gonna go find myself a bar and get drunk!' Amarant stated, scratching his chin. 'Unless anyone opposes..?' he asked the girls. When neither of them answered he scattered off. 'See ya!'  
  
'Are you going to run off to anywhere?' Beatrix asked Veranda after a short pause.  
  
Veranda thought for a while, not wanting to spend another night alone with Beatrix. She was getting a little too psycho for Veranda. 'No,' she answered, not able to remember any place in the city she could wander off to. 'not really!'  
  
'Well then, let´s get going! I don´t want to stay out in the open for too long, there are still some fliers ´bout that bounty around here. Plus, this festival that is beginning will attrackt lots of people! I don´t want to be in the middle of that when my head´s worth 1 million gil!' And by that she turned, stomping away. Veranda had only enough time to think one line of irritation before devoting her energy into keeping up with Beatrix.  
  
Great! I´m stuck alone with the crazy bitch. Blank - Amarant.. I hate you!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
In the darkness between two houses in the theater district there sat a man. A normal man with nothing special or affectation about him. He had short, black hair that only reached his mid temple, was dressed in leather pants, white shirt and a long, black coat. He was quite thin, even thinner than could be considered healthy, but he did not look sick or out of energy as you might think. His face was very special and characteristic and his deep, dark grey eyes were watching everything that happened on the street.  
  
Now they were inspecting that redhaired man with much interest. He was edging his way through the crowd on the street. There were unusally many outdoors today, seemingly some kind of a festival was beginning. But the man cared nothing for those things. He did not take his eyes off the man. His hair made it easy to pin-point him in the middle of hundreds of shouting and laughing citizens.  
  
Then the man stood up from his hiding place. And as he did that he looked up in at the sky for a split second as if to thank someone up there for granting a long desired wish. Then he smiled a bit, showing his marble-like teeth, straight and shining white. The man was really handsome, in a very grown up stort of way. He seemed to be only about 30-35 years old, although he could possibly be older.  
  
He walked out on the street and as he emerged from that alley he had been in people seemed to pause, looking at him and then moving away, allowing him to walk freely. Wizdom seemed to reek out from him like a scent or heat, and he seemed to tower over all other, even though he was not considered a very tall man. His superiority was unquestioned by everyone so they sided to clear his path.  
  
He followed slowly after the redhaired man, through the streets and to a house, a big house. The Tantalus Headquarters, the man noted. He had been there several times before, alone, searching, waiting.  
  
The redhaired man disappeared inside and so did the man shortly after, closing the door carefully behind him.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: I know, I´m taking my time in writing this and letting the story come out. But then on the other hand, this has to be done exactly at the speed I´m doing this. But then again, sorry for the lack of action! There will be a lot of dialog in the next chapter I think, so that one will be easier to write, or shall we say it won´t take as much time! Plus, it won´t take as long time to read. But, we´ll see... maybe it will be longer...  
  
But I´m sticking with my "at least 1 review a chapter until I publish the next" rule now. thanx anywho... 


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